Cruel joke for trick-or-treaters or coveted seasonal delight

People were hurt and enraged by Briana Culberson's post as it made its way to other social media platforms

A Sheffield Wednesday supporter has been charged by police after fans appeared to mock the death of Sunderland’s football mascot Bradley Lowery during a game. The Sunderland fan captured the nation’s heart during his battle with neuroblastoma, but died from the illness aged six in 2017. He was a mascot for his beloved club and, in the months before his death, led England out at Wembley alongside former Black Cats striker Jermain Defoe. Sunderland beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 last Friday at Hillsborough and offensive pictures circulated on X, formerly Twitter. They showed two men laughing at the match, with one of them holding up a picture of Bradley. Dale Houghton, 31, from Rotherham, was arrested on Saturday and has been charged with a public order offence, South Yorkshire Police said. He is due to appear in court on Monday. Mr Houghton had been remanded in custody ahead of a hearing at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court, said South Yorkshire Police. The police have also applied for a football banning order. A second man aged 27 was also arrested yesterday and has been released on bail while further enquiries are conducted. Since the backlash, Sheffield Wednesday fans have raised over nearly £15,000 for the Bradley Lowery foundation. A spokesperson for the charity shared their gratitude to the fanbase and added: “Turning a negative into a positive, that’s what Brad always did.” A Sheffield Wednesday fan commented: “I’m ashamed and embarrassed that this happened from ‘supporters’ of our club. “It’s vile and unimaginable that this occurred Bradley touched the footballing world with his strength and smile Keep up the positive work. We are so sorry that this happened and caused distress.” Read More Bradley Lowery: Thousands raised for charity after football fans ‘mocked boy’ over cancer death Sheffield Wednesday vs Sunderland LIVE: Championship result, final score and reaction Police investigate after Sheffield Wednesday fans mock death of young Sunderland mascot

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French prosecutors have launched an investigation into a billionaire who is the world’s second-richest person over his links to a Russian oligarch. Bernard Arnault, co-founder and chief executive of luxury-goods group Louis Vuitton (LVMH), is being investigated amid allegations of money-laundering. The Paris public prosecutor’s office says it is investigating financial transactions involving the French billionaire and businessman Nikolai Sarkisov. Mr Arnault’s spokesperson declined to comment. The inquiry is centred on property purchase in Courchevel, a ski resort in the French Alps known for being a playground for the ultra-rich, the prosecutors said. Mr Sarkisov acquired property there via a transaction in which Mr Arnault, through one of his companies, had provided a loan, according to French daily paper Le Monde, citing the Tracfin financial-intelligence unit. It said the 55-year old Russian billionaire had acquired 14 housing units from a single seller in 2018 for €16m (£13.9m) in a complex deal involving companies based in France, Luxembourg and Cyprus. Tracfin, part of the French justice system focused on combating money-laundering, has yet to determine whether any crime had been committed, a source close to the investigation said. Mr Arnault’s LVMH group owns handbag brand Louis Vuitton, Moët champagne, Hennessy cognac, the jeweller Tiffany’s and the watchmaker Tag Heuer, among many others. His fortune is thought to be worth $164bn (£134bn), according to financial experts at Bloomberg. Mr Sarkisov’s RESO-Garantia insurance company in Moscow could not be immediately reached for comment. Le Monde cited a person close to Mr Arnault as saying the transaction had been carried out in full respect of French law. In 2019, the French tycoon, who is the richest person in Europe and second-richest after Elon Musk, pledged 200 million euros (£173m) for the restoration of Notre Dame after it was devastated by fire. Breaking news: more follows Read More First Abrams tanks arrive from US in boost for Kyiv – live Europe sweeps opening session in Ryder Cup to put USA in 4-0 hole Putin recruits former Wagner commander ‘Grey Hair’ Troshev First Abrams tanks arrive from US in boost for Kyiv – live Europe sweeps opening session in Ryder Cup to put USA in 4-0 hole Putin recruits former Wagner commander ‘Grey Hair’ Troshev

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War is returning to Russia, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned, after early-morning drone attacks hit Moscow on Sunday. Although Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the strikes, Mr Zelensky said such attacks were an inevitable and fair process of the war between the nations. Earlier on Sunday, Russia blamed Ukraine for what it called an “attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime” and said three drones had targetted the capital. Its defence ministry said two buildings were damaged in the Moskva-Citi business district after being brought down using electronic jamming equipment, while another was shot down over the Odintsovo area. One of the residential buildings damaged was home to three government ministries, local media reported. Vnukovo airport on the southern outskirts of the capital was forced to temporarily close due to the attacks, according to Russia’s state news agency. Nobody was hurt, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. It is the fourth attempt at a strike on the capital region this month and the third this week, fuelling concerns about Moscow’s vulnerability to attacks as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on into its 18th month. President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the attempted attacks, his spokesperson said. He was in his home town of St Petersburg for meetings with African leaders and a naval celebration at the time. “On the morning of 30th July, an attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime using unmanned aerial vehicles against targets in the city of Moscow was foiled,” Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement. In a video address from the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk, Mr Zelensky said that Ukraine was getting stronger. “Today is the 522nd day of the so-called ‘Special Military Operation’, which the Russian leadership thought would last a couple of weeks,” he said. “Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia – to its symbolic centres and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process.” A Ukrainian airforce spokesperson did not claim responsibility for the attacks but said the Russian people were seeing the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “All of the people who think the war ‘doesn’t concern them’ – it’s already touching them,” Yurii Ihnat told journalists. “There’s already a certain mood in Russia: that something is flying in, and loudly,” he said. “There’s no discussion of peace or calm in the Russian interior any more. They got what they wanted.” Mr Ihnat also referenced an attempted drone attack in Crimea early on Sunday – the Ukrainian territory occupied and illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Russia’s defence ministry said it had shot down 16 Ukrainian drones and neutralised eight others through electronic jamming. No injuries or damage were reported. Mr Zelensky has vowed to take back all land Russian forces have occupied, including Crimea, and his efforts have been strengthened by the receipt and deployment of increasingly advanced Western weapons. It comes after a ramping up of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in recent weeks, with the head of Ukraine’s intelligence directorate telling Ukrainian news site TSN on Saturday that Kyiv’s forces were set to enter Crimea “soon”. In Ukraine, the airforce claimed it had destroyed four Russian drones above the Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Meanwhile, a Russian missile strike late on Saturday killed two people and wounded 20 in the city of Sumy in northeast Ukraine. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said a four-storey college building was hit, with local authorities saying accommodation and teaching buildings were damaged in the blast and fire that followed. Read More Ukraine war – live: Putin blames Kyiv for early morning drone attacks on Moscow Volodymyr Zelensky takes selfies with soldiers during Bakhmut visit Ukraine’s newest attack on Russia? Moving Christmas Putin thanks North Korea for ‘unwavering support’ for Ukraine war The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Ayden King is one of more than 1,300 children and teens in the US killed by gunfire so far in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Firearms became the No. 1 killer of children and teens in America in 2020, surpassing motor vehicle accidents.

Hezbollah has announced the deaths of five more militants as clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border intensify

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LONDON (Reuters) -The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday it needs urgent access to Gaza to deliver aid and