Starmer calls on public to ‘open their eyes to Jewish pain’ in wake of Golders Green attack

• The United Arab Emirates withdrew from OPEC yesterday, marking a historic split from Saudi Arabia during the escalating regional crisis. • This decision coincides with the Strait of Hormuz being almost entirely shut down due to a US naval blockade aimed at halting Iranian oil exports. • The US is threatening to cut off major Chinese banks from its financial system to prevent processing of Iranian oil, intensifying global energy tensions.

US president said he was instead nominating radiologist and Fox News contributor Dr Nicole Saphier for the postSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxDonald Trump on Thursday pulled his nominee to become the US surgeon general, Casey Means, and replaced her.The US president said that Means will continue to fight for the so-called Make America Healthy Again (Maha) movement spearheaded by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. He stated this was despite opposition from Bill Cassidy, the Republican US senator of Louisiana, to Means’s nomination. Continue reading...

Vehicle was travelling through Juvisy-sur-Orge when it veered off the road and fell in the riverFour people have been rescued from the Seine near Paris after a bus driven by a trainee driver collided with a parked vehicle before plunging into the river.The bus was travelling through the town of Juvisy-sur-Orge south-east of the French capital when it veered off the road and fell into the Seine, prosecutors said. Continue reading...

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, allegedly stormed the White House correspondents’ association dinner and is being held as case proceedsThe man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump by rushing the black-tie press gala in Washington DC at the weekend where the US president was a guest, agreed on Thursday to remain in custody while his federal criminal case moves forward.The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was not planning immediately to contest prosecutors’ arguments that he was a danger to the community and should remain in jail, his attorney, Tezira Abe, said during a federal court hearing in the capital. Continue reading...

Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre’s assessment means terror attack ‘highly likely’The UK terrorism threat level has been raised to “severe” by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre after the Golders Green stabbings, meaning a terror attack is thought to be “highly likely”.The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, described Wednesday’s attack as a vile act of terrorism. “Today, the national threat level has increased to ‘severe’, which means a terrorist attack is considered highly likely,” she said. Continue reading...

US president’s latest outburst comes a day after he suggested a possible reduction in US troops in GermanyWhy does the US have military bases in Germany – and will Trump follow through on his threat to cut numbers?Donald Trump has again lashed out at Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz, saying he should focus on “fixing his broken country” and trying to end the Russia-Ukraine war – and spend less time “interfering” in Iran.“The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!),” Trump wrote in a social media post. Continue reading...

A new reboot of the 1999 horror hit will feature two of the original stars and the directing team as executive producersThe reboot of The Blair Witch Project will now boast those involved with the original as producers after they voiced their frustration.The 1999 indie smash was made for $35,000 but made $248m, becoming one of the most profitable films ever made. Continue reading...

The World Press Freedom Index, which assessed 180 countries, finds established journalism is ‘being asphyxiated’Press freedom around the world is at its lowest ebb in a generation, according to an influential annual index that highlights growing authoritarian pressure on the media.The average score for the 180 countries assessed by the World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), was the lowest in the index’s 25-year history. Continue reading...

Prominent contemporary visual artist explored range of techniques across six decades of workThe German artist Georg Baselitz, whose expressive paintings and sculptures stirred controversy before winning him global acclaim, has died aged 88, local media reported have reported.Baselitz, born Hans-Georg Kern, was among Germany’s most prominent contemporary visual artists with a body of work stretching over six decades across a range of techniques. Continue reading...

Senior police officer warns of young people being drawn into violent extremism as Alfie Coleman found guiltyMore and more young people are being drawn into the world of violent extremism, a senior police officer has warned, as a young neo-Nazi was convicted of planning a mass gun attack after being caught in an undercover MI5 sting.Alfie Coleman, a former supermarket worker from Great Notley in Essex, compiled a hate-list of colleagues and customers he branded with racial slurs or as “race traitors”. He wrote a “manifesto” in a diary and identified potential targets, including the “lord mayor of London” and a mosque. Continue reading...

Move comes after mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke on return of the Koh-i-noor diamond after UK royals’ visit to New YorkHundreds of antiquities valued at $14m have been returned to India by New York authorities, including some connected to the alleged art smuggler Subhash Kapoor, in a move that is likely to raise the pressure on others to make similar gestures.The return of 657 antiquities was announced by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg Jr, on Tuesday, and came as New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, waded into the historically contentious ownership of the 105.6 carat Koh-i-noor diamond. Continue reading...