A drunk driver killed his friend while trying to show off his powerful BMW by driving on the wrong side of the road.
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Mariusz Kosinski, 37, was seen driving on the wrong side of the street in Evesham, Worcester, before losing control and flipping his car onto its roof.
The court heard how other drivers heard screeching tyres as Kosinski overtook dozens of vehicles, barrelling down the road before attempting to overtake a car.
It was then that he lost control and his BMW went into a spin before flipping over and landing on its roof on a grass verge.
Kosinski’s mirror dashcam caught him screaming in Polish: ‘F***! He is dead, mate! I killed the dude. F***! Buddy! I killed him!’
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His passenger and friend, Pawel Czubacki, 40, died in the passenger seat despite the efforts of emergency services who rushed to the scene.
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He’s been jailed for more than ten years (Picture: SWNS)
Kosinski had filmed his speedometer hitting 80mph before he crashed on the A46 on July 27, 2024.
Shocked witnesses told police how his black BMW 330d had sped past 14 cars and two motorbikes before the smash.
A breathalyser test revealed Kosinski had 80mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath – more than twice the legal limit of 35mcg.
Kosinski, of Evesham, has been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for ten-and-a-half years.
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Jailing him at Worcester Crown Court, Judge Nicholas Cartwright said Kosinski deliberately ignored the rules of the road.
He added that in doing so showed a disregard for the safety of other road users while ‘showing off’.
Kosinski has been banned from driving for 13 years (Picture: SWNS)
The judge also banned Kosinski from driving for 13 years.
Detective Constable Danny Somner, of West Mercia Police, said: ‘We are pleased to get this conviction and sentencing for Kosinski today whose appalling driving resulted in the tragic death of his passenger and put many other motorists at risk of serious harm that day.
‘It would be easy to think that what happened was just a one-off lapse of judgment or moment of madness.
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‘However, the footage recovered from Kosinski’s dashcam showed his usual driving was risky and dangerous, so it is right he is behind bars and has been handed a lengthy ban from the roads.’
A car suspected of being used in hare coursing has been seized after being stopped by police in Whittlesey. Cambridgeshire Police had information that it had previously been used for hare coursing.
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Police stopped the car in Briggate West in Whittlesey on Saturday February, 14 at around 8.45am where police found seven occupants inside the car.
The car was seized and the driver was reported for having no insurance, no licence and for carrying passengers in a manner than was likely to cause harm.
A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “Hare coursing remains a priority for us, and we will continue to address the issue by targeting offenders and working with our rural communities. If you believe hare coursing is taking place, always call 999.”
Journey through the dangers of the reproductive system in a new indie game where you play as a bespectacled sperm, in the ultimate race for life.
Indie games have the freedom to explore avenues AAA publishers would fear to tread, between roguelite cat breeding in Mewgenics and slapping the residents of Barnsworth on the buttocks in Thank Goodness You’re Here!
A new example of the noble indie spirit is a fantastical sperm simulator, where you swim through the human reproductive system in order to create new life. The best part? It’s called Become.
As you can see in the trailer, you’re controlling one of millions of sperm and (per the Steam description) you have to ‘evolve your cell to be the fastest, toughest, and most efficient swimmer to achieve the miracle of life’.
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Just as you’d hope, it’s all pretty tongue-in-cheek, with references to being ‘deep inside the balls’ and dramatic zoom outs of soiled socks. The trailer doesn’t show much gameplay wise, but it looks you’ll be dodging antibodies, acidic baths, and collecting sugars and proteins to unlock new abilities.
Despite all the jokes the basics actually seem fairly realistic, although probably not quite enough to be used as an educational tool.
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There is some silly semen customisation too, whether you fancy a bespectacled baby maker or rooting-tootin’ ejaculate in a cowboy hat. Sadly, there’s no ability to plaster your Mii faces onto your seed.
Become promises to be a short single-player experience, at two-to-three hours in length, and it’s set to be released on Steam in 2026. It sounds like this isn’t locked in stone though, with a note at the end of the trailer stating: ‘Coming 2026 if I don’t f*** it up.’
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The game is created by solo developer Valentin Wirth. This is their first indie game, but they previously worked on the cinematics for Mafia 3, Mafia: Definitive Edition, and, er… Crime Boss: Rockay City starring Chuck Norris and Vanilla Ice.
Beyond the adventures of spunk, there’s a vast load of indie games still to come in 2026. These range from Mina The Hollower, Mouse: P.I. For Hire, Replaced, to Big Walk from the creators of Untitled Goose Game.
Don’t worry, we know everyone’s different, which is why we’ve covered all the bases. You can trust us — here at Standard Shopping, we have years of experience in pulling together shopping edits for guys, whether it’s clothing, tech, sportswear, alcohol… You name it, we’ve covered it. So we know exactly what makes them tick across the board to make sure you’re guaranteed a good response when you hand it over.
Obama clarified in an Instagram post that his remarks weren’t to be taken too seriously, though said ‘statistically’ it’s likely extraterrestrial life exists.
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He added: ‘But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!’
A 2024 report by the Pentagon found no evidence of an alien cover-up, though it said that the belief that the government is hiding aliens will persist.
Nick Pope, who investigated UFOs for the British Ministry of Defence in the 1990s, said Obama’s comments have only intensified this belief.
‘Much of the UFO community has taken this as quasi-official confirmation of an extraterrestrial reality,’ Pope told Metro.
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He added that rumours are swirling of a ‘disclosure’ event, where long-classified files around what are now called Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena will be released.
‘Obama’s comments are being seen as part of an acclimatisation campaign, readying people ahead of a definitive, formal announcement,’ Pope said.
‘Whatever the truth, Obama’s comments have reignited the debate about UFOs, extraterrestrials, and what governments might know about all this.
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Area 51, a top-secret government facility in Nevada, has long been the focus of UFO enthusiasts (Picture: Getty)
Obama has spoken about aliens several times (Picture: YouTube)
‘Hang onto your hats: there are probably further twists to this tale ahead.’
UFOlogist Mark Christopher Lee is among those expecting a ‘twist’.
The filmmaker said many US presidents have seemingly had close encounters of the third kind, such as Ronald Reagan in 1974.
The then-California governor claimed he saw a zigzagging white light while aboard a plane flying over Bakersfield.
Nevertheless, Lee stressed that the government has always been tight-lipped about what it knows, if anything, about extraterrestrial beings.
Interstellar visitors like the comet 3I/ATLAS could help us understand life beyond Earth, an astronomer has said (Picture: NASA/ESA/David Jewitt)
Lee said: ‘That’s why there may be genuinely historic developments ahead from the current administration.
‘I have been informed by a reliable source close to President Trump that he has already prepared a full UFO disclosure speech and plans to deliver it on July 8.’
Yet Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist, said the search for life beyond our blue skies isn’t just what presidents and intelligence officials would know.
Wayne Rooney will be watching the FA Cup with pride as his brother John aims to continue a fairytale run with Macclesfield against Brentford
Wayne Rooney will hope brother John can continue his fairytale FA Cup run with Macclesfield FC as they take on Brentford in the fourth round. The brothers have been in football for years, with one somewhat more successful as a player.
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Former Manchester United star Wayne couldn’t hide his emotions as he watched John defeat Premier League side Crystal Palace 2-1 in the FA Cup third round. National League North side Macclesfield took an unbelievable 2-0 lead against the cup holders and held on to go through to the next round despite a late Palace goal, securing a legacy as one of many ‘giant-killers’ in the cup competition.
The ex-England international had been doing punditry for the BBC and was visibly close to tears after the game. He told the BBC: “I am getting emotional to see my younger brother achieve this. He has not long been in management.
“To get through to the fourth round of the FA Cup, and to beat Crystal Palace a Premier League team? I am so proud of him.”
Praising John’s calm demeanour during the match, Rooney added: “He did. I don’t know how! It’s such an achievement, absolutely superb.”
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The Macclesfield boss was similarly emotional after the historic achievement. John said: “I am the same. … Late in the game we thought about slowing it down. I never thought we’d be in that situation. I can’t get my head around it.”
The Rooneys grew up in the Croxteth area of Liverpool, with Wayne the eldest brother between himself, John and Graham. The current Macclesfield boss, like Wayne, began his career at Everton, but didn’t have the same trajectory throughout his professional journey in football.
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While Wayne rubbed shoulders with icons and became one himself at Manchester United, John spent his career in the MLS and lower leagues in England. He played for Orlando City, Barnsley, Stockport County and the team he now manages, Macclesfield.
Despite never reaching the same heights as his brother while playing, John has certainly enjoyed a fast introduction to life in football management. The 35-year-old retired last year and almost immediately moved into coaching, taking over at Macclesfield from Robbie Savage after hanging his boots up at the club on the same day.
He has guided the side to 7th in the National League North table and famously led them to a 2-1 win over Palace in the FA Cup. While the pair tend to keep their personal relationship under wraps, Wayne showed a more sensitive side to his bond with John after his FA Cup upset.
The 40-year-old posted his congratulations on social media to John, writing on Facebook: “Couldn’t be any prouder of my brother John. Well done to everyone at Macclesfield. Unbelievable achievement and more than deserved.”
Wayne will be watching on with bated breath as his younger sibling takes on yet another Premier League outfit in the shape of Brentford on Monday night. A place in the fifth round of the FA Cup awaits one of them and the Rooney family will be hoping Macclesfield can further their dream run in the historic competition.
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
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Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
Many locals who went to birthday parties as children have also taken their own children to the venue.
A laser force centre where local children have enjoyed parties for 25 years is set to close. Laser Force in Brook Street, Peterborough, has provided entertainment to lots of children in the area since 2001.
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A Laser Force spokesperson said: “Unfortunately we have been unable to secure a new lease of the established Laser Force operators who wanted to take over the site. So, after 25 years Laser Force Peterborough will close on March 2.”
Locals who went to Laser Force as children, and have since taken their own children there, have shared their sadness over the impending closure. Georgia Jones said she went to Laser Force “most weekends” with friends, or with her dad.
She continued: “Each time it was so fun and you always competed with your friends to get the highest score, which you would see once you were out of the game. It’s sad to see it’s closing down. As a mother myself, I was looking to take my children in the next year as they are older to understand how to play the game.
“Peterborough is slowly becoming a ghost town with only soft plays and the odd crazy golf place to take our children. Laser Force is something different and fun for children to experience.”
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Matthew King, 36, said he “loved” Laser Force as a child. He added: “I remember hiding from that alien thing coming out of the wall. Good memories, I’m sad to see it close.”
Abigail Goodliffe has memories of her father taking her there during the holidays. She said: “My dad is self-employed and works a lot over the half-terms. However, he’d always try to get a day off here and there and he’d take me and my brothers to Laser Force for the day.”
Abigail associates the entertainment venue with her “dad and family time”. She added: “We’ve been going for at least the last 10 years and thoroughly enjoy the time together. Staff were always kind and fun. We will definitely miss it.”
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Vicky Margaret’s favourite memory of Laser Force was going there on a school trip. She said: “I had the best time. Me and my friends were pouring with sweat by the end, but we loved it.
“Now my children enjoy it as much as we did. As a family that enjoyed this activity, which my daughters and sons loved, we will be extremely sad to see it go. But, we will always be grateful for the memories from being a child to now seeing my own children love it just as much as I did and still do.”
Shelley Bradshaw previously worked on the PTA at Winyates Primary School in Peterborough. She praised Laser Force for its involvement in fundraising events. She said: “We would host fundraising events for the kids in school, like raffles and prize bingo.
“I would write to local companies asking if they could help in a way of a donation of any kind – very few companies responded. Every single time, they [Laser Force] would provide four free entries.”
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Laser Force is still accepting bookings for February, including the half-term. Final sessions will take place on March 1.
“Lindsey Graham is reportedly pushing for Trey Gowdy to replace Pam Bondi as Attorney General if she is forced out,” Greenville businessman Mark Lynch wrote on X (Twitter) Sunday.
“This is EXACTLY the type of globalist, swamp-monster Beltway RINO who should NOT be the next AG. We need results, not press conferences. Arrests, not FOX News appearances.”
By calling Gowdy a “RINO,” Lynch was invoking a popular MAGA acronym for establishment members of their party, standing for “Republican in name only.”
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In another post, citing a right-leaning account called Publius as his source, he said: “This poor advice, on top of globalist tendencies and atrocious voting record, are just a couple of the reasons I will be REPLACING Lindsey Graham.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi has faced intense pressure and calls to resign in response to her bad-tempered appearrance before the House Judiciary Committee last week (AP)
Gowdy, the TV star so objected to by Lynch, was a South Carolina Republican congressman from 2011 to 2019 and served as chair of the House Oversight Committee for two years before joining Fox.
The Independent has reached out to Graham’s office, Lynch’s campaign, Fox News, and the White House for comment on the speculation promoted by the candidate.
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Bondi made a fiery appearance before the House Judiciary Committee last Wednesday, at which she sparred angrily with Democrats and declined to apologize to, or even acknowledge the presence of, the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, several of whom were sitting behind her.
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has been accused by Senate challenger Mark Lynch of conspiring to have Bondi replaced as AG (Getty)
However, there is currently no indication she is likely to do so.
Graham, for his part, has the “complete and total endorsement” of President Donald Trump and is therefore likely to sweep Lynch and fellow challenger Paul Dans aside in the battle to retain his Senate seat this year.
“I’m his north star,” the incumbent said of Trump in an interview with NBC News last week. “We disagree, but he knows where I am coming from. He sees me helping him as much as anybody in the Senate.”
Asked how he maintains his bond with the president – whom he blasted as a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot” when they were rivals for the GOP nomination in 2015 – Graham said he had a secret formula.
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“Be mildly entertaining. Play golf. And understand he’s been a great president,” the senator advised. “You know what we have in common? I like him and he likes him.”
Explaining the importance of retaining the president’s ear, he said, “Let’s put it this way: I’ve heard senators say things. Most of them are very uninformed about what actually goes on at the White House.”
Administration spokesperson Abigail Jackson, in turn, said of the veteran: “Senator Graham is a close ally to the president and plays a critical role in helping to advance the president’s America First agenda in the Senate.”
A white Mercedes AMG was spotted on the motorway after speeding off from GMP officers
A teenager has been arrested after a 150mph police chase on the M6. Officers from Greater Manchester Police first attempted to stop the vehicle at around 2am last Wednesday (February 11) before the driver sped away and was later sighted on the motorway.
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A search was carried out by Cheshire Police and Staffordshire Police, when a white Mercedes AMG was spotted near to Sandbach Services on the M6. Police attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver made off at speed, and a chase followed.
Cheshire Police said traffic officers followed the vehicle as it travelled at speeds of up to 150 mph, including through areas coned off by roadworks. A police stinger was used to slow the vehicle, and the pursuit was subsequently brought to a conclusion on Alsager Road, near to the A500.
The driver of the vehicle, a 19-year-old man from Telford, was later arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving. He’s since been released on bail.
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Inspector Bradley Hughes of Cheshire Police’s Roads and Crime unit said: “This was a great example of teamwork between forces to stop and arrest a dangerous driver who clearly showed no regard for the safety of members of the public.
“Thanks to our officers working together, we were able to bring this dangerous behaviour to an end. Let this be a reminder – if you commit crime on Cheshire’s roads, there is nowhere you can hide.”
Jofra Archer took two wickets in the first over of Italy’s chase but Ben Menenti smashed 60 from 25 balls and Grant Stewart 45 from 22 to give Italy real hope.
With Stewart at the crease, the tournament’s lowest-ranked side needed 30 runs from the final two overs for an almighty upset.
That England came through is obviously a positive. Sam Curran, who also defended 10 from the last over against Nepal, dismissed Stewart in the penultimate over.
He admitted there have been nerves throughout the initial group stage.
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“It’s actually just a tricky stage in a World Cup,” Curran told the BBC.
“You’re nervous, you’ve got all kinds of nerves and expectation.
“I had a little chat with Morgs [former England captain Eoin Morgan] before the toss and said these are the hardest games because we want to get there so badly.
“Now we’ve done it it’s [about] enjoying it. This is our first aim and now we focus on the teams that we know will be in our group.”
