Today's Newsletter

• Counter-terrorism police are leading an investigation into an attack in Leeds by a man armed with a crossbow and air rifle, it is widely reported. Two women, aged 19 and 31, were left with serious injuries following the incident in the Otley Run area. Police are analysing a social media post which is understood to have listed "revenge" and "misogynistic rage" as motivations for the attack. Counter Terrorism Policing North East said it would "explore any potential motivation".

• Pro-Palestine protesters disrupted the London Marathon yesterday, the London Evening Standard reports. Activists from Youth Demand threw red paint over Tower Bridge while wearing t-shirts reading "Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel". The group posted footage of the disruption to X.

• The Times looks at how Israel's ongoing war against in Hamas in Gaza has led to divisions within the UK's largest Jewish representative body. Thirty-six elected representatives of the Board of Deputies of British Jews are facing disciplinary action after they signed an open letter condemning Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and claiming "Israel's soul is being ripped out" by "extremists".

• There are concerns for the safety of members of UK special forces whose identities were inadvertently leaked online by two publications linked to the British Army, The Sunday Times reports. The Ministry of Defence said it takes "data security extremely seriously, adding: "Where we become aware of any potential risk, we will always take immediate action."

• Figures obtained through Freedom of Information requests show that jailed Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary has benefited from £367,000 in legal aid since 2016, The Sun reports. It comes as Choudary is being investigated on suspicion of encouraging Manchester Arena bombing plotter to carry out an attack earlier this month at HMP Frankland that left three prison officers with serious injuries.

• The Sunday Telegraph reveals antisemitic social media posts by a Gaza journalist who has appeared more than a dozen times on BBC Arabic. In a 2022 Facebook Post, Sam Elzanen stated: "When things go awry for us, shoot the Jews, it fixes everything." He previously threatened "Zionist Jews" that "We shall burn you as Hitler did, but this time we won't have a single one of you left." The BBC insisted Elzanen is not employed by the corporation "or part of the BBC’s reporting team" and that it was not previously aware of his social media activity.

• A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to three years in jail after extreme right-wing terrorism documents were discovered on his devices, the London Evening Standard reports. The devices were seized as part of an investigation into child sexual abuse images. Material subsequently retrieved included guides on how to make explosives, firearms and ammunition.

• The Daily Telegraph looks at the case of Rhianon Rudd, who in 2020 took her own life after being groomed by right-wing extremists and charged with terrorism offences. A month-long inquest into Rudd's death concluded at the end of last month, with a coroner's report expected in June.

• Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club has issued a statement apologising for its sacking of a newly-appointed director over social media posts about the war in Gaza, BBC News reports. Salma Mashhour appeared to condone Hamas' October 7 assault on Israel in a now-deleted Instagram post. In its statement, the club said it sought to clarify that its decision to fire Mashhour after the post came to light should not "be taken to imply [that the club believes she] supports terrorism or engaged in racist or discriminatory behaviour". It also emphasised that "the club recognises the right of individuals, in their personal capacity, to express political opinions."

• Indian and Pakistani troops have traded fire across the Line of Control in disputed Kashmir for a fourth night, Reuters reports. Tensions between the two countries escalated over the weekend following last week's Islamist terror attack that left 26 dead in Kashmir's Pahalgam area. India accuses Pakistan of funding terrorism in Kashmir, a claim Pakistan denies.

• Israel yesterday carried out an airstrike on a building in Beirut's southern suburbs, BBC News reports. Israel said the strike hit a building used by Iran-backed Hizballah militants. Lebanon's president, Joseph Aoun, called on the US and France, "as guarantors of the cessation of hostilities agreement", to "assume their responsibilities and compel Israel to immediately cease its attacks".

• Syria's Islamist government have rejected a call from Syrian Kurdish parties to create a de-centralised system of government in the country, Reuters reports. A statement from President Ahmed al-Sharaa's office said: "We clearly reject any attempt to impose a partition or create separatist cantons under the terms of federalism or self-autonomy without a national consensus. The unity of Syrian territory and its people is a red line."

• Research from the Henry Jackson Society suggests that claims by Hamas that 70 per cent of casualties in Gaza are women and children are "demonstrably false", the Sunday Telegraph reports. The think tank identified inconsistencies between underlying hospital casualty figures and claims made by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. Its report states: "The Hamas government media office curated the data to spin media-ready versions that inflated women and children’s deaths to levels that gave the deceptive impression of indiscriminate Israeli attacks on women and children."

• According to a statement released by Niger's military, an attack by suspected Islamist militants left twelve soldiers dead on Friday, Reuters reports. The "surprise offensive" targeted Nigerien soldiers patrolling around six miles north of the village of Sakoira, in the west of the country, the statement said. The area, located close to Niger's borders with Burkina Faso and Mali, is at the epicentre of an Islamist insurgency by al-Qa'ida- and Daesh-linked militants.

• In France, a Muslim worshipper was stabbed inside a mosque in the country’s southern Gard region, AFP reports. Video of the killing, taken by the assailant, was later shared online. French prime minister Francois Bayrou denounced the act as an "Islamophobic atrocity", pledging that the perpetrator would be brought to justice.

• On Thursday, a 15-year-old girl was stabbed to death by a 16-year-old male classmate at the Notre Dame de Toutes Aides college in western France, the Daily Mail reports. The attacker, named as Justin P and currently being held in a psychiatric unit, is alleged to have shown a fascination with Nazi iconography. Shortly before the attack, he is also understood to have emailed all pupils at the school calling for an end to "ecological destruction", in addition to specifying a list of other grievances, including "social alienation".

• AFP looks at how tensions between Benin and its northern neighbours, Niger and Burkina Faso, has been exploited by Islamist insurgents moving in from the Sahel. According to Beninese political scientist Emmanuel Odilon Koukoubou, "If Benin goes it alone and there is no response from the other side, it will remain in a state of crisis, with terrorist groups having found an El Dorado on its borders."

• In the US, a visit by hard-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has sparked a series of protests and counter-protests, the Associated Press reports. An appearance at Yale University on Wednesday drew hundreds of demonstrators, while a visit to the headquarters of the Chabad–Lubavitch movement in Brooklyn led to clashes between supporter and opponents that resulted in six arrests.

Horror attack: Crossbow maniac who shot two young women in random attack was fuelled by ‘misogynistic rage’

The Sun, 28/04/2025

A man armed with a crossbow shot two young women in a random attack said to have been fuelled by “misogynistic rage”. The man, who then blasted himself in the head with a gun in an apparent suicide bid, is believed to have been targeting female students. He was arrested on suspicion of two attempted murders after Saturday’s 3pm attack and was “critical” in hospital last night. His victims were aged 19 and 31. One was “stable” after surgery to life-threatening injuries. The other was discharged from hospital. Police, who searched the suspect’s flat near the scene, were analysing a Facebook message outlining plans for “The Otley Run massacre”. It describes the “attack type” as “spree killing, mass murder, terrorism” which has been motivated by “revenge” and “misogynistic rage”. It tells how the sender had “explored far-Right ideas”. An earlier post by the same person outlined their hatred for feminists.

Also: BBC News, Daily Mail, The Guardian, (£) The Independent

Special forces security blunder exposed names and ranks

(£) The Sunday Times, 27/04/2025

The identities of serving members of Britain’s secretive special forces have been inadvertently published online for more than a decade by two publications associated with the British Army. In a significant breach of security protocol, the names and ranks of at least 20 elite soldiers and their links to the special forces were listed in documents publicly available on the internet. The latest updates by the two publications happened only months ago, meaning some of the soldiers may have been engaged in live operations at the time. In those latest updates, 13 soldiers’ links to the special forces were revealed. These documents were intended for members of the armed forces but appear to have been published online without safeguards such as password protection.

Also: Mail on Sunday

Cash for hate preacher: Fury as evil hate cleric Anjem Choudary racks up £367k legal aid bill paid for by you

The Sun, 27/04/2025

Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary has racked up a taxpayer-funded legal aid bill of £367,000. The huge sum emerged as the 58-year-old faced questioning over a horrific attack on prison officers. He has been linked to Manchester Arena terrorist Hashem Abedi, 28, who allegedly threw boiling oil at guards and used blades made from metal trays in the separation unit of HMP Frankland, County Durham. Fellow inmate Choudary—branded Britain’s worst Islamist radicaliser—was reported to have encouraged him. In 2024, Choudary was jailed for life with a minimum of 28 years for directing a terror group. Freedom of Information figures show he got £211,823.91 in legal aid for his trial. Previously, £154,883.23 covered his defence at a trial in 2016.

Two women injured in attack involving crossbow

BBC News, 26/04/2025

A man has been arrested and counter-terrorism police are investigating after two women were seriously injured in an attack involving a crossbow and a firearm in Leeds. Three people were found injured and taken to hospital—including the suspected attacker—in Otley Road, in the Headingley area, shortly before 3pm. A 38-year-old man who suffered a "self-inflicted injury" was arrested and two weapons—a crossbow and a firearm—were recovered from the scene. Counter Terrorism Policing North East said it had taken over the investigation from West Yorkshire Police, and an extensive cordon remained in place in the Otley Road area.

Londoner who had bomb-making guide on his phone is jailed for three years

London Evening Standard, 25/04/2025

A man who admitted possessing extreme right-wing terrorism documents including a bomb-making guide has been sentenced to three years in jail. Met police officers raided the home address of Vitor Dias, 21, from Willesden, north-west London, on 17 May 2022, as part of an investigation into indecent images of children being posted online. Dias was not arrested, but two mobile phones were seized and the contents downloaded and analysed. A large amount of extreme right-wing terrorist material was recovered, including guides on how to make explosives, firearms and ammunition. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This case demonstrates that we will arrest and prosecute anyone accessing terrorist material. I am grateful to the work of colleagues in the Wembley Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation unit who uncovered Dias’s offending after his phones were seized.”

Also: Daily Express

The tragic tale of Rhianan Rudd, the UK’s youngest female terror suspect

(£) Daily Telegraph, 26/04/2025

In the autumn of 2020, Rhianan Rudd gouged a swastika into her forehead in a declaration of her love for Adolf Hitler. She had just turned 15. A little more than a year later, she killed herself in a children’s home in Nottinghamshire while in the care of her local authority. Rhianan had been diagnosed with autism as a child. Hers was a disturbing and disturbed life; a life which presents a chilling insight into the ease with which a teenager can be sucked into the hate-filled world of white supremacists. The youngest girl in the UK ever to be charged with terrorist offences, she had planned to build a bomb and blow up a synagogue. Her short life raises profound questions for society about how the authorities deal with children who pose a threat but are also deeply damaged themselves.

Met Police 'misled Minister' about violent threats by trans protesters—leading her to insist that no law was broken

GB News, 24/04/2025

The Metropolitan Police has been accused of "misleading" the policing minister over violent placards at last weekend's mass trans rights protests in London. Officers told Dame Diana Johnson that no threatening signs were displayed at Saturday's demonstration in Parliament Square, leading her to insist in interviews that there was no evidence the law had been broken. In fact, several threatening placards were visible at the protest. These included two placards with hangmen and slogans such as "The only good TERF is a _ _ _ _ one", implying gender-critical feminists should die.

Spy chief's revelation blows open mystery of Jill Dando's unsolved murder

Daily Mirror, 26/04/2025

Milorad Ulemek's former spymaster has admitted that one of his commandos carried out an attack abroad at around the time Jill Dando was killed. Dragan Filipović was a leading member of the Serbian security services when he masterminded a "secret reprisal action" in the spring of 1999 that caused "great confusion in Europe". At the time, Ulemek, then 31, led the unit Filipović used to target opponents of brutal Serb dictator Slobadan Milosevic. The Yugoslav war was raging, and UK planes were bombing Serbia when Jill was shot dead on her doorstep on 26 April 1999. Within hours of her murder, the BBC took a call claiming the death was in response.

Chaos at London Marathon as pro-Palestine activists deface Tower Bridge with red paint

London Evening Standard, 27/04/2025

Youth Demand said two of its supporters jumped over the barriers and threw the substance in front of the men’s elite race at around 10.35am. An image shared by the group shows two people standing in the middle of the road wearing t-shirts that said: “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel.” It added: “City of London police quickly moved to arrest the pair.” Youth Demand named the two activists as Willow Holland, 18, from Bristol, and Cristy North, a live-in carer from Nottingham. Miss Holland was quoted by the group as saying: “I am taking action with Youth Demand because I have run out of other options: thousands are being killed in Gaza, our Government is making no effort to stop it and no other course of action, marches or rallies, has worked.”

Also: (£) The Times

Inside the Gaza row splitting the British Jewish board

(£) The Times, 28/04/2025

When Phil Rosenberg became president of Britain’s largest Jewish representative body, he vowed to become a “unifying figure” and stressed that he was “not frightened” by the community’s diverse views on difficult issues, including Israel. Under his leadership, he pledged that the Board of Deputies of British Jews would proudly echo every corner of the community as it grappled with the fallout of the October 7 attacks. “I’m not scared to speak to people on my right or on my left, because I often find, genuinely, you learn something from people, if you listen,” he told Jewish News after his appointment last May. Almost a year later, however, the board is facing an unprecedented challenge amid signs of deepening divisions over the Israeli government’s renewed offensive in Gaza.

‘We’ll burn Jews like Hitler did’, says BBC contributor in Gaza

(£) Sunday Telegraph, 27/04/2025

A journalist who appears prominently on the BBC’s Arabic channel to report from Gaza called for Jews to be burned “as Hitler did”, it can be revealed. Samer Elzaenen has appeared on BBC Arabic more than a dozen times since the conflict erupted following the October 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel. He reported live last month and his dispatches have included reports from the Nuseirat refugee camp in June last year, after an Israeli military operation to rescue four hostages, held by Hamas, led to hundreds of Palestinian deaths. It has now emerged that Elzaenen, 33, has issued a stream of social media posts which single out Jews for condemnation and even appear to call for violence against them.

Also: Daily Mail

Irish rap band Kneecap referred to counter-terror police after allegedly saying to gig-goers 'kill your MP'

GB News, 26/04/2025

Irish Republican rap group Kneecap has been referred to counter-terror police for a second time over allegations they told fans to "Kill your local MP" at a London concert in 2023. The controversial Belfast trio was already under investigation after footage emerged from a 2024 gig where a band member allegedly shouted "Up Hamas, up Hizballah". The Metropolitan Police confirmed they are now investigating both incidents. The second video, dating from a concert in London in 2023, allegedly shows a member of the band making inflammatory comments about British rule in Ireland. The footage is being assessed by the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit to determine whether it breaks UK terrorism laws. This follows the earlier investigation into the group's alleged support for proscribed terrorist organisations.

Pictures as 'Patriots of Britain' and 'Keep the fascists out of Manchester' stage demos in city centre

Manchester Evening News, 26/04/2025

Several hundred protesters and counter-protesters gathered in Manchester’s city centre on Friday for two rival demos. A group calling themselves 'Patriots of Britain' held an event in Piccadilly Gardens where they protested about the handling of grooming gang cases. They had asked people to 'unite for the children'. Posts advertising the event said: "We demand accountability for the victims." Union flags were waved. One sign read: "Free Tommy Robinson." UKIP leader Nick Tenconi was among the speakers. A counter-protest titled 'Keep the fascists out of Manchester' was also staged in the square. They had accused the group of promoting 'bigotry and hatred'. They chanted 'Nazi scum off our streets', and 'There are many more of us than you.' The two groups were kept apart by two police lines either side of the Queen Victoria statue.

Horrifying number of hate crimes in Yorkshire against certain group

Yorkshire Live, 27/04/2025

According to the latest Home Office statistics, in the year up to March 2024, 273 offences motivated by hostility or prejudice against transgender people or people perceived to be transgender were recorded by West Yorkshire Police. This was a decrease from 328 transphobic crimes the year before, but an increase from 180 five years ago. South Yorkshire Police recorded 127 transphobic hate crimes in 2024 compared to 107 in 2023, and 87 five years prior. North Yorkshire Police recorded 46 offences—up from 40 in 2023 and ten five years ago. Humberside Police recorded 84—a decrease from 95 in the previous year but a rise from the 56 offences tallied five years earlier. Throughout England and Wales, the number of transphobic hate crimes saw a modest reduction, falling from 4,889 in the year leading up to March 2023 to 4,780 in the latest available data.

Neo-Nazis celebrate Hitler's birthday in an Oldham pub with racist flags and a swastika cake

Manchester Evening News, 27/04/2025

Neo-Nazis celebrated Adolf Hitler's birthday at a pub in Oldham then showed off about it on social media, the Manchester Evening News can reveal. Members of the northwest branch of fringe far-right extremists the British Movement gathered at the Duke of Edinburgh in Royton last Saturday afternoon. The pub said staff were unaware of the group's presence until the following day and have reported the incident to police. Pictures posted on the organisation's Telegram feed show the group displaying Nazi flags and a cake decorated with a swastika.

Student police officer who said 'terrorists have beards and wear turbans' dismissed without notice

GB News, 26/04/2025

A student police officer who claimed "terrorists have beards and wear turbans" has been dismissed from West Midlands Police without notice. PC Tranter made the offensive comment during a training session in 2023. He also laughed when a tutor highlighted that branding a mixed-race person an "Oreo" is an inappropriate term. A misconduct panel found his actions represented an "unconscious racial bias" and amounted to gross misconduct. The officer was sacked following a hearing on 9 April.

Kashmir clash must stay off Britain’s streets

(£) Daily Telegraph, 27/04/2025

India and Pakistan may reach a peaceful deal, writes James Snell. Their diasporas are a different story.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

My daughter’s grave was destroyed in an Islamophobic attack—but I don’t hate those who did it

(£) The Independent, 27/04/2025

It’s more important than ever to meet hatred and violence with compassion, humility and mutual respect, writes Iqbal Khan—whose daughter’s grave was desecrated at Carpenders Park, Watford, along with 84 others, including those of babies.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Club apologise for sacking director over Gaza post

BBC News, 25/04/2025

Dagenham and Redbridge have apologised for sacking a director three days after her appointment for a post about the Israel–Gaza war. Salma Mashhour was named director of development and engagement on 14 April, alongside Egyptian YouTuber Marwan Serry, who joined the club's ownership group, with the aim of expanding their global reach. But on 17 April, the club released a short statement saying Mashhour had been removed from her position "effective immediately". On the same day, in an interview with the Jewish News, the National League side's managing director Steve Thompson had said "we do not tolerate racism, discrimination, or support for terrorism of any kind". In a now-deleted Instagram post from October 2023, Mashhour wrote that she did "not condemn Hamas, I condemn the brutal occupation, apartheid, international law violations and illegal settlements that created this genocide!"

MPs call for urgent action over 'toxic' male influencers

ITV News, 24/04/2025

A new group of Labour MPs want to pressure the government into a radical rethink of how to steer young men and boys away from the culture of toxic masculinity. Each of the eight MPs at the meeting picks out different challenges facing young men and boys. “We have to get away from a political snobbery,” said Shaun Davies, who represents Telford in Shropshire. “Which is to say that to talk about men's issues and boys’ issues is somehow anti-women or anti-girls. It absolutely is not.” Jonathan Brash, a former teacher and now Hartlepool MP said: “I've been looking at the exclusion rates in secondary school and they're going up and up and up. Why are young men no longer fitting into our education system and then what happens when they are pushed out of it?”

Left-wing nurse who assaulted white Muslim walks free sparking new 'two-tier justice' row

Daily Mail, 25/04/2025

A left-wing activist who assaulted a white Muslim man she mistook for a 'racist' at a pro-immigration protest just days after the Southport stabbings has been spared prison amid claims of 'a two-tier justice system.' Caroline Leneghan grabbed an iPhone from victim Dylan Fontaine and smashed it on the ground during a heated exchange at the event in Bournemouth. The former NHS nurse then physically lunged at him when he attempted to pick it up. Based on his appearance, Leneghan yelled out that he was a racist and a fascist, inciting others to 'swarm' around him and putting him in fear of being attacked. Despite the fact Leneghan has shown no remorse, she walked free with a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years. Her sentence is in sharp contrast to the scores of right-leaning protesters who have been given lengthy jail terms for public order offences during anti-immigration demonstrations after Southport.

Moment Irish rappers Kneecap tell cheering concert-goers to 'kill your local MP' and shout 'the only good Tory is a dead Tory'—as band face terror probe over 'pro Hamas' chants

Daily Mail, 26/04/2025

Irish Republican band Kneecap which is being investigated by counter-terrorism police over pro-Hamas chants urged its fans to 'kill your local MP' at a concert in London. Video footage has emerged of the rap group telling a jeering audience 'the only good Tory is a dead Tory' while performing at a gig in Electric Ballroom in London. In the video a member of the Northern Irish band—which is set to play at Glastonbury later this year—said: 'We're still under British occupation in Ireland. We still have old men in London making decisions that affect my life in Ireland. And even worse, they're f***ing Tories. The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.'

Kneecap 'will not stay silent' after death threats for 'Free Palestine' Coachella message

Daily Mirror, 25/04/2025

Kneecap have said they will 'not stay silent' as they hit out at the 'coordinated smear campaign' against them for their 'Free Palestine' statement at Coachella. The Belfast band, consisting of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí, ended their set at the second weekend of the Coachella music festival in California on 18 April with three messages on a large screen that accused Israel of genocide and war crimes against the Palestinian people. Taking to their Instagram page on Friday, Kneecap released a statement on their set at Coachella, telling fans: "The reason Kneecap is being targeted is simple—we are telling the truth, and our audience is growing. Those attacking us want to silence criticism of a mass slaughter. They weaponise false accusations of antisemitism to distract, confuse, and provide cover for genocide."

Labour donor applauds taxpayer-funded band which praised Hamas

(£) Daily Telegraph, 26/04/2025

Dale Vince, a Labour donor, praised Kneecap on the day it emerged that police were investigating the band for showing support for Hamas. The Irish republican band from Belfast, which received a grant from taxpayers, is being investigated by a Metropolitan Police counter-terror unit for apparent on-stage shouts of “Up Hamas, up Hizballah”. However, Vince, a green energy tycoon who has donated more than £5 million to Labour, praised Kneecap, posting on X: "Respect to Kneecap, using their platform to speak for Palestine—and against the machinery of war. Needs to be said: genocide is happening, it’s aided by the West in terms of money, arms and silence."

Fact Check: Court rejected Tommy Robinson's appeal but did not rule on confinement

(£) Reuters, 25/04/2025

British judges declined to reduce the jail sentence of anti-Muslim activist Stephen Yaxley–Lennon on 16 April but did not rule on where he will serve the remainder of his term, contrary to a claim on social media that the court ordered him to solitary confinement. Yaxley–Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, is serving an 18-month sentence for contempt of court after breaching an injunction that prevented him from repeating libelous allegations about Syrian refugee Jamal Hijazi.

Gary Lineker is bravely speaking truth to power on Israel

(£) i, 25/04/2025

Bravo to Gary Lineker for speaking truth to power, writes Yasmin Alibhai–Brown. Too many media figures wouldn’t or couldn’t be as plain and honest about Israel’s endless war on Palestinians and the BBC’s coverage of that war.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Revealed: online campaign urged far right to attack China’s opponents in UK

The Guardian, 28/04/2025

One morning last August, a troubling message appeared in a social media group for Hongkongers in the UK. It was already a tense time to be an immigrant. Rioters, propelled by false claims online that the man who had murdered children in Southport was an asylum seeker, were descending on hotels housing refugees, trying to burn them alive. The message alerted the Hongkongers to posts on far-right channels suggesting some new targets. “They all help refugees who come to the UK to take resources,” one of them read.

Fully autonomous strike drones within technological reach, says German start-up

(£) Financial Times, 28/04/2025

The era of fully automated strike drones is within technological reach, according to German drone start-up Stark.

‘Satanists’ are stalking vulnerable young victims online

The Observer, 27/04/2025

A playbook for blackmailing vulnerable young people into sharing sexually explicit images is being circulated among “satanist” extremists online, analysts have warned. Members of the sadistic collective known as the 764 network have been sharing a 101-page “sexploitation handbook” as part of their efforts to target young victims online. The guide, seen by The Observer, includes a section on how to select and target victims—headed with the quote: “Get them young, and they’re yours forever.” Members of 764—named after a Texas post code where the founder lived—use social media and gaming platforms to seek out victims with eating disorders and self-harm problems, as well as young members of isolated religious groups, according to Barrett Gay, an analyst for the Institute of Strategic Dialogue who researches right-wing extremism.

Syria's Sharaa rejects Kurdish demands for decentralisation

(£) Reuters, 27/04/2025

Syria's Islamist leaders said on Sunday that Kurdish demands for the country to adopt a decentralised system of government in a post-Assad political order posed a threat to national unity. "We clearly reject any attempt to impose a partition or create separatist cantons under the terms of federalism or self-autonomy without a national consensus," Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa's office said in a statement. "The unity of Syrian territory and its people is a red line," the statement said. Rival Syrian Kurdish parties, including the dominant faction in the Kurdish-run northeast, agreed at a meeting in Syria's Kurdish-controlled city of Qamishli on Saturday on a common political vision for Syria's Kurdish minority.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar to pay back Syria’s debt to the World Bank

Associated Press, 27/04/2025

Saudi Arabia and Qatar said Sunday they will pay Syria’s outstanding debt to the World Bank, a move likely to make the international institution resume its support to the war-torn country. A joint statement by the finance ministries of Saudi and Qatar said the decision to pay Syria’s nearly $15 million debt to the World Bank was made during this month’s World Bank and IMF meetings in Washington. Syria’s Foreign Ministry thanked the two oil- and gas-rich nations for paying the debt, saying it opens the way for activating cooperation toward recovery and reconstruction after a 14-year conflict that killed half a million people and caused wide destruction in the country.

Syria's Kurds demand 'democratic decentralised' Syria

AFP, 26/04/2025

Syria's Kurdish parties on Saturday adopted a joint political vision calling for a "decentralised democratic" state in Syria with guarantees for Kurdish rights. Their statement came at the end of a conference held in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, where a top Kurdish official disputed suggestions that the meeting sought division following the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Syria's new Islamist-led rulers have sought to establish government control over the entire country since they ousted al-Assad in December after more than 13 years of civil war. Marginalised and repressed during decades of Assad family rule, Kurdish-led forces took advantage of the civil war to establish de facto autonomy in the north and northeast.

Syrian letter delivers response to US conditions for sanctions relief

(£) Reuters, 26/04/2025

Syria has responded in writing to a list of US conditions for possible partial sanctions relief, saying it had acted on most of them, but others required "mutual understandings" with Washington, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters. The US last month handed Syria a list of eight conditions it wants Damascus to fulfill, including destroying any remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and ensuring foreigners are not given senior governing roles. Syria is in desperate need of sanctions relief to kickstart an economy collapsed by 14 years of war, during which the US, Britain and Europe imposed tough sanctions in a bid to put pressure on former president Bashar al-Assad.

New Syrian foreign minister attends UN Security Council in first US appearance since Assad’s fall

Associated Press, 25/04/2025

Syria’s foreign minister attended a UN Security Council briefing Friday after raising his country’s new flag at the international body’s headquarters. It was the first public appearance by a high-ranking Syrian government official in the US since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December. Asaad al-Shibani is part of a delegation of authorities from Damascus’ new government who traveled to the US in hopes of receiving relief from harsh sanctions that were imposed by America and its allies after al-Assad’s brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011 that spiraled into a civil war. “The brutal policies of that era deepened divisions, forcing entire families to immigrate and leaving behind their hopes and dreams that were reduced to ashes,” al-Shibani said in his remarks to the Security Council. “However, I’m here today to represent that new Syria.”

Syrian president and Iraqi delegation discuss restoring oil pipeline via Syria

(£) Reuters, 25/04/2025

An Iraqi delegation met with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Friday to discuss restoring an Iraqi oil pipeline through Syria to Mediterranean ports, the Iraqi state news agency reported. The Iraqi delegation, led by the head of the National Intelligence Service, and al-Sharaa also discussed counter-terrorism cooperation, border security and ways to expand bilateral trade. Earlier this month, Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani held talks with al-Sharaa in Qatar, their first meeting since the ousting of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December after more than 13 years of civil war. Syria, grappling with an energy crisis due to the collapse of its oil industry due to the civil war, has been seeking oil imports through local intermediaries.

Iran summons Dutch envoy to protest assassination attempts claim

(£) Reuters, 25/04/2025

The Iranian foreign ministry summoned the Dutch ambassador to Tehran on Friday, the official IRNA news agency reported, a day after the Netherlands called in Iran's envoy over suspicions that Iran was behind two assassination attempts. An Iranian foreign ministry official described the Dutch accusation as "laughable" and based on "suspicions or assumptions", according to IRNA.

Roadside bomb targeting security vehicle kills 4 troops in restive southwest Pakistan

Associated Press, 25/04/2025

A powerful roadside bomb exploded near a vehicle carrying security personnel in Pakistan’s restive southwest on Friday, killing four troops and wounding three others, police said. The attack occurred in Quetta, the capital of the Balochistan province, according to a local police chief, Naveed Ahmad. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, but suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatists, who frequently target security forces and civilians in the province as well as other parts of the country. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in a statement, denounced the bombing and paid tribute to the security forces for sacrificing their lives to restore peace in the country. The latest attack came a day after a roadside bomb hit a vehicle and killed three people in Kalat, a district in Balochistan.

India, Pakistan exchange small arms fire across Kashmir border for fourth night

(£) Reuters, 28/04/2025

India said on Monday it had responded to 'unprovoked' firing from Pakistan along the de facto border for the fourth consecutive night, as it deepens its search for militants in the region following last week's deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir. After the 22 April attack that killed 26 people, India has identified two of the three suspected militants as Pakistani, although Islamabad has denied any role and called for a neutral probe. The attack triggered outrage and grief in India, along with calls for action against Pakistan, who New Delhi accuses of funding and encouraging terrorism in Kashmir, a region both nations claim and have fought two wars over.

Children ordered to leave mothers behind in India as border closes

(£) The Times, 28/04/2025

High-kicking, turban-wearing security forces lowered the Indian flag as normal at the Wagah border this weekend but there was no customary handshake with their Pakistani counterparts at the end. Instead, the two sides—India in brown and red and Pakistan in black—ignored each other after the ceremony was completed: a sign that already frosty relations between the two ­nuclear-armed neighbours have plummeted in the past week. The reason is the massacre of 26 mostly Indian tourists in a meadow near Pahalgam, in Kashmir, last week. Experts have said that if there is military action, it will likely be in the next few days.

Man shot dead at home in mysterious circumstances amid high terror alert in India’s Kashmir

(£) The Independent, 28/04/2025

A man has been shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Kashmir, just days after a terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people and sent tensions between India and Pakistan soaring. The victim, identified as 44-year-old Ghulam Rasool Magray, was attacked at his home in the Kani Khas area in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Saturday night. Police said unidentified gunmen barged into his house and opened fire, hitting him in the abdomen and wrist. Magray was rushed to the District Hospital in Handwara and later referred to Srinagar’s Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Pakistan calls for neutral probe into Kashmir attack India blames it for

(£) Reuters, 26/04/2025

Pakistan called on Saturday for a "neutral" investigation into the killings of mostly Indian tourists in Kashmir that New Delhi has blamed on Islamabad, saying it was willing to cooperate and favoured peace. India has identified two of the three suspected militants as Pakistani, though Islamabad has denied any role in the attack on Tuesday that killed 25 Indian and one Nepali tourists. "Pakistan is fully prepared to cooperate with any neutral investigators to ensure that the truth is uncovered and justice is served," said Pakistan's interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi. "Pakistan remains committed to peace, stability and the following of international norms but will not compromise on its sovereignty," he told a press conference.

India and Pakistan trade gunfire along Kashmir border after deadly attack

The Guardian, 26/04/2025

Indian and Pakistani troops have exchanged gunfire across the volatile frontier in Kashmir for a second day, amid spiralling tensions after a brazen attack that killed 26 people at a popular tourist resort. The massacre has sent relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours into a dangerous downward spin. India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which is divided between them but claimed fully by both. India's military said Pakistani soldiers opened fire from “multiple posts” along the heavily militarised ceasefire line, and Indian forces “responded appropriately” to what it called “unprovoked” firing. No casualties were reported. Pakistan did not immediately comment.

Also: Associated Press

India hunts militants in Kashmir as tensions with Pakistan soar

(£) Reuters, 25/04/2025

Armed police and soldiers searched homes and forests for militants in Indian Kashmir on Friday, and India's army chief reviewed security there after the killing of 26 men at a tourist site—the worst attack on civilians in nearly two decades. The attack triggered outrage and grief in India, along with calls for action against neighbour Pakistan, whom New Delhi accuses of funding and encouraging terrorism in Kashmir, a region both nations claim and have fought two wars over. India's army chief visited Srinagar, capital of Indian Kashmir, and authorities scoured Pahalgam, the scenic town where the attack took place on Tuesday.

Pakistan minister urges international probe of Kashmir attack, NYT reports

(£) Reuters, 25/04/2025

Pakistan believes an international investigation is needed into the killing of 26 men at a tourist spot in Indian Kashmir this week and is willing to work with international investigators, the New York Times reported on Friday, quoting Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif. Asif told the newspaper in an interview that Pakistan was “ready to cooperate” with “any investigation which is conducted by international inspectors.” India has said there were Pakistani elements to the attack on Tuesday, but Islamabad has denied any involvement. The two countries both claim the mountainous region, but each controls only part of it.

Israel launches air strike on Beirut

BBC News, 27/04/2025

Israel carried out an air strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday, after ordering an evacuation of a building that it said was being used by the Iranian-backed group Hizballah. The attack occurred despite a ceasefire that came into force five months ago which put an end to the conflict between Israel and the military group. Israel said that it had targeted a Hizballah store of "precision-guided missiles" that "poses a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians". The Lebanese presidency condemned the strike and called on the US and France—who brokered the ceasefire in November—to press Israel to cease its attacks on the country. The attack marks the first time in almost a month that Israel has struck Beirut's southern suburbs—called Dahieh—where Hizballah is based.

Also: Daily Mail, The Guardian

Gaza ceasefire talks make some progress, Qatari PM says

(£) Reuters, 27/04/2025

Qatar's prime minister said on Sunday that efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza have made some progress, but an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war remains elusive. "We have seen on Thursday a bit of progress compared to other meetings, yet we need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister. "That's the key point of the entire negotiations." Mossad Director David Barnea travelled to Doha on Thursday to meet Sheikh Mohammed amid efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza, Axios reported last week. Sheikh Mohammed didn't say which elements of the ceasefire talks had progressed in recent days, but said Hamas and Israel remained at odds over the ultimate goal of negotiations.

Israel faces legal pressure at UN’s top court over Unrwa ban

The Guardian, 28/04/2025

Israel will come under sustained legal pressure this week at the UN’s top court when lawyers from more than 40 states will claim the country’s ban on all cooperation with the UN’s Palestinian rights agency UNRWA is a breach of the UN charter. The five days of hearings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague have been given a fresh urgency by Israel’s decision on 2 March to block all aid into Gaza, but the hearing will focus on whether Israel—as a signatory to the UN charter—acted unlawfully in overriding the immunities afforded to a UN body. Israel ended all contact and cooperation with UNRWA operations in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in November, claiming the agency had been infiltrated by Hamas, an allegation that has been contested.

Also: (£) Associated Press

Gaza on brink of catastrophe as aid runs out and prices soar, groups warn

The Guardian, 28/04/2025

Soaring prices of basic foodstuffs, diminishing stocks of medical supplies and sharp cuts to aid distribution threaten newly catastrophic conditions across Gaza, Palestinians and international aid officials in the battered territory are warning. Humanitarian organisations including the World Food Programme and UNRWA, which supplies food and services to more than 2 million Palestinians across Gaza, have now distributed the last of their stocks of flour and other foodstuffs to the dozens of community kitchens in the territory that serve basic meals to those with no other option. Aid groups’ warehouses were filled during the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that came into effect in mid-January and ended in early March. They are now empty.

Israel says it has intercepted a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels

Associated Press, 27/04/2025

Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a missile early Sunday toward Israel, which the Israeli military said it shot down as US strikes in the Houthi-held capital of Sanaa killed two people. Sirens sounded in parts of Israel around the Dead Sea. The military said “the missile was intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory.” Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree claimed the attack, saying the rebels targeted Israel’s Nevatim air base with what he identified as a hypersonic missile. American airstrikes, meanwhile, continued targeting the Houthis overnight into Sunday, part of an intense campaign against the rebels that began on 15 March.

Israeli official says claims IDF targets aid workers are 'blood libel' after UK minister calls for investigation

Sky News, 27/04/2025

An Israeli government spokesperson said suggestions that the IDF targets aid workers are "blood libel", after a Labour MP called for investigations into attacks leading to their deaths. Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East and North Africa, said on social media that "aid workers need protection and must never be targeted". The MP for Lincoln then added: "Following Israel's admission of responsibility for recent strikes on UN premises in Gaza, it must investigate all attacks that have killed aid workers, hold those responsible to account, and ensure this never happens again." It came after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) admitted its troops were behind the attack on a UN guest house in Gaza last month, killing one staff member. It had previously denied responsibility.

Netanyahu says Israeli planes intercepted Iranian ones sent to rescue embattled Syrian leader Assad

Associated Press, 27/04/2025

Israeli warplanes last year intercepted Iranian aircraft headed toward Syria, preventing them from delivering troops meant to assist the country’s embattled president at the time, Bashar al-Assad, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday. The remarks in a speech gave a new glimpse into Israel’s thinking in the final days in power for Assad, a longtime enemy who was overthrown by insurgents last December. Speaking to a conference hosted by the Jewish News Syndicate, a pro-Israel news agency, Netanyahu claimed that arch-rival Iran wanted to save Assad after watching the Iranian-backed Hizballah group in neighbouring Lebanon suffer heavy losses in fighting with Israel. “They had to rescue Assad,” Netanyahu said, claiming that Iran wanted to send “one or two airborne divisions” to help the Syrian leader.

Hamas claim that 70pc of Gaza dead are women and children ‘demonstrably false’

(£) Sunday Telegraph, 27/04/2025

Claims by Hamas that 70 per cent of casualties in the Gaza conflict are women and children have been dismissed as “demonstrably false” in a new report. The report by the Henry Jackson Society, a think tank, undermines claims that Israel’s armed forces have been responsible for the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians during the conflict. Its findings are in contrast to assertions by Gaza’s Hamas-run government that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has deliberately targeted women and children. The Henry Jackson Society claims that the IDF has generally managed to avoid disproportionately harming civilians, even though many thousands have been killed.

Hamas says open to 5-year Gaza truce, one-time hostages release

AFP, 26/04/2025

Hamas is open to an agreement to end the war in Gaza that would see all hostages released and secure a five-year truce, an official said Saturday ahead of talks with mediators. A Hamas delegation was in Cairo to discuss with Egyptian mediators ways out of the 18-month war, as on the ground rescuers said an Israeli strike on a family home in Gaza City killed at least ten people and left more feared buried under the rubble. The Hamas official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the Palestinian militant group "is ready for an exchange of prisoners in a single batch and a truce for five years". The latest bid to seal a ceasefire follows an Israeli proposal which Hamas had rejected earlier this month as "partial", calling instead for a "comprehensive" agreement to halt the war ignited by the group's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.

Also: (£) Reuters

Palestinian president names Hussein al-Sheikh vice-president of PLO and his likely successor

Associated Press, 26/04/2025

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday named a veteran aide and confidant as his new vice-president. It’s a major step by the ageing leader to designate a successor. The appointment of Hussein al-Sheikh as vice-president of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) does not guarantee he will be the next Palestinian president. But it makes him the frontrunner among longtime politicians in the dominant Fatah party who hope to succeed the 89-year-old Abbas. The move is unlikely to boost the image among many Palestinians of Fatah as a closed and corrupt movement out of touch with the general public.

Missile launched at Israel from Yemen intercepted, Israeli army says

(£) Reuters, 26/04/2025

The Israeli military said a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted in the early hours of Saturday before crossing into Israeli territory. Sirens sounded in a number of areas in Israel following the missile's launch, Israel's army added in a statement. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that they fired a ballistic missile toward Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, the group's military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said in a televised statement later on Saturday.

Everything you need to know about new documentary Louis Theroux: The Settlers

(£) i, 27/04/2025

Louis Theroux has stepped outside the comfort zone once again to make a new programme about the West Bank. The award-winning journalist, famed for his candid documentaries such as Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends and When Louis Met… exploring difficult topics such as white supremacy and pornography, returned to the Palestinian Territory late last year to meet the Israeli settlers living there. It is his first visit to the area since 2010, when he made the documentary Ultra Zionists for the BBC. This time, his visit and resulting programme comes as Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza.

Malnutrition in Gaza worsens as Israeli blockade of supplies passes 50-day mark

ABC News, 25/04/2025

Israeli authorities have blocked supplies—including food, medicine and fuel—from entering the Gaza Strip for more than 50 days. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the main UN agency operating in Gaza, said they have run out of flour supplies in the region as of 24 April in a situational update. UNRWA has described the current state on the ground as the worst humanitarian crisis since the war began on 8 October 2023, a day after a Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel left more than 1,200 Israelis dead. With the blockade of supplies in place, Gaza's population of approximately 2.1 million people faces a crisis of starvation, disease and despair. "Food, safe water, shelter, and medical care have become increasingly scarce," UNRWA said in the update, stating prices for basic goods are soaring while bakeries shut down, and hospitals run out of critical medicine and generator fuel.

Also: BBC News, Sky News

While the world watches Gaza, here is what’s happening in the West Bank

Associated Press, 25/04/2025

After the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 ignited the devastating war in Gaza, a deadly new reality also took hold for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. With the world’s attention focused on Gaza, Israeli military operations in the West Bank grew in size, frequency and intensity. The army launched the stepped-up campaign to counter what it says is a growing militant threat. Here’s a look at where things stand, with data collected by the UN’s humanitarian office and Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement tracking group.

New York probes reported counter-protest assaults during Israeli official's visit

(£) Reuters, 28/04/2025

New York City mayor Eric Adams said on Sunday that police were investigating a series of incidents that have erupted from clashing pro-Palestinian protests and pro-Israeli counter-protests, including the reported assault on Thursday of two women by a pro-Israeli crowd. Demonstrations have taken place in recent days during a visit to New York by hard-right Israeli national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a West Bank settler who has pressed for an intensification of US ally Israel's war in the Gaza Strip. "The NYPD is investigating a series of incidents stemming from clashing protests on Thursday that began when a group of anti-Israel protesters surrounded the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters—a Jewish place of worship—in Brooklyn," Adams said on social media. "Initial reports indicate that one female protester was isolated from her group, harassed by counter-protesters and suffered injuries. In another incident, a second woman was surrounded and subjected to vile threatening by counter-protesters," he added.

They staged protests for Palestine. The consequences have been life-changing

The Guardian, 26/04/2025

In March, the Trump administration listed Swarthmore College as one of 60 schools at risk of losing hundreds of millions of federal dollars for allowing what it considered antisemitic harassment on campus. Colleges and universities across the country were already quashing pro-Palestinian protests by suspending and arresting students, and several revised their policies to ban encampments prior to Trump's inauguration. But some have gone even further to penalise students in light of the government's threats to pull their funding. In some cases, those preventive measures have been for naught.

Conservatives fighting ‘antisemitism’ are actively targeting US Jews. Why?

The Guardian, 26/04/2025

The pro-Israel campaign to ‘protect’ Jews by punishing anti-Zionist speech often targets Jews, writes Joshua Schreier.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

US visit by far-right Israeli minister draws tense protests and ‘big fissures’ in Jewish community

Associated Press, 25/04/2025

Hard-right Israeli security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was speaking to a small crowd at a Manhattan steakhouse Thursday afternoon when a Brooklyn man, who had been hiding in a bathroom for two hours, stormed into the private event. “Get the — out of New York!” cried the protester, Gabriel DeFazio. He was swiftly removed by security, though not before telling the minister he would be “remembered as a Nazi and Palestine will be free.” So it has gone for Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist settler leader once on the fringes of Israeli politics, as he embarks on his first official US visit since joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet in 2022.

Ex-Taliban commander pleads guilty to taking US journalist hostage

(£) Reuters, 25/05/2025

A former commander in the Afghan Taliban has pleaded guilty to taking an American journalist and two Afghan nationals hostage in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2008 and 2009, the US Justice Department said on Friday. Haji Najibullah, 49, an Afghan national, who was charged in 2020 with kidnapping David Rohde, a former Reuters correspondent, faces life in prison. He previously pleaded guilty in the case. Najibullah also changed his plea to guilty in a case related to the deaths of US troops in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2009.

Trump says he pushed Netanyahu on Gaza aid

(£) Reuters, 25/04/2025

US president Donald Trump said on Friday that he pushed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow food and medicine into the devastated Gaza Strip. No aid has been delivered to the Palestinian enclave since 2 March. Israel has said it would not allow the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza until Palestinian militant group Hamas releases all remaining hostages. Earlier on Friday, the UN World Food Programme said it had run out of food stocks in Gaza. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked whether concerns about humanitarian aid access came up in his phone call with Netanyahu earlier this week. "Gaza came up and I said, 'We've got to be good to Gaza ... Those people are suffering,'" Trump said. When asked whether he raised the issue of opening up access points for aid into Gaza, Trump replied "We are."

Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to federal death penalty charge in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing

Associated Press, 25/04/2025

Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Friday to a federal murder charge in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Prosecutors formally declared their intent to seek the death penalty, and the judge warned Justice Department officials to refrain from making public comments that could spoil his right to a fair trial. Mangione, 26, stood between his lawyers and leaned toward a tabletop microphone as he entered the plea in Manhattan federal court. He responded “Yes” when US District Judge Margaret Garnett asked if he understood the indictment that charges him with gunning down Thompson outside a midtown hotel last December. Asked how he wished to plead, Mangione said simply “not guilty” and sat down. A cause célèbre for people upset with the health insurance industry, Mangione’s federal arraignment drew dozens of people to court.

French police hunt suspected killer of Muslim worshipper inside mosque

AFP, 26/04/2025

French police were on Saturday hunting a man suspected of killing a Muslim worshipper inside a mosque in the south of the country and then filming the dying victim on a mobile phone and shouting insults at Islam. The worshipper was stabbed dozens of times on Friday morning in the village of La Grand-Combe in the Gard region of southern France. His killer was still at large on Saturday, regional prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini told AFP. Investigators are now treating the killing as a possible anti-Muslim crime. The footage taken by the killer showed him insulting "Allah", the Arabic term for God, just after he carried out the attack. The alleged perpetrator sent the video he had filmed with his phone, showing the victim writhing in agony, to another person, who then shared it on a social media platform before deleting it.

French teen ‘who glorified Hitler’ knifed 15-year-old girl ‘who he knew well’ more than 40 times as she screamed for help during frenzied school stabbing rampage attack

Daily Mail, 25/04/2025

A French teenager who 'glorified Adolf Hitler' killed a 15-year-old girl by stabbing her at least 40 times before severely wounding another female student and two boys, it emerged today. Horrific details of Justin P's attacks at a high school in Nantes were revealed on Friday as his principal victim was partially identified as a fellow student called Lorène. She was singled out by Justin P, 16, at the Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides college in western France on Thursday. An investigating source said: 'At around midday, the attacker entered a classroom looking for his victim, and then isolated her close to a second floor toilet. He stabbed the girl, called Lorène, whom he knew well, at least forty times. She screamed for help, before succumbing to her wounds on the spot.'

Bringing the war home: Gaza threatens to reshape an Australian election

(£) Reuters, 28/04/2025

The war in Gaza has fractured support for Labor, a party seeking to fend off the conservative Liberal–National opposition and win a second term in power. Since late 2023, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government has walked a fine line between expressing concern for Palestinians, repeatedly calling for a ceasefire, and supporting ally Israel's right to self-defence. The approach has angered pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel voters, leaving Labor vulnerable in at least nine of the lower house seats it needs to hold onto its one-seat majority in the 150-seat parliament, election experts say.

Muslim Australians are crying out to be heard. Will the major parties listen to us?

The Guardian, 28/04/2025

Groups such as Muslim Votes Matter and The Muslim Vote are hoping to gain support from those who feel left out of the major parties and disenchanted by the status quo, writes Shadi Khan Saif.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels allege US airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants

Associated Press, 28/04/2025

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday alleged a US airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants. The US military had no immediate comment. The strike happened in Yemen’s Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis. Graphic footage aired by their al-Masirah satellite news channel showed what appeared to be dead bodies and others wounded from an explosion at the site. Casualty figures weren’t immediately clear. The US military’s Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Associated Press.

US military says it will limit disclosing details on strikes in Yemen

(£) Reuters, 28/04/2025

The US military said on Sunday it will not reveal specific details about its military strikes in Yemen, citing what it called the need "to preserve operational security" while also saying the strikes had "lethal effects" on Houthi rebels. President Donald Trump ordered the intensification of US strikes on Yemen last month, with his administration saying it will continue assaulting Iran-backed Houthi rebels until they stop attacking Red Sea shipping. "To preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations," US Central Command said in a statement. "We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we've done or what we will do." The military said it has struck over 800 targets since mid-March that it says killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders as well as destroyed the militant group's facilities.

Also: AFP, BBC News

Somalia's prime minister appoints new defence minister in reshuffle

(£) Reuters, 27/04/2025

Somalia's prime minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, reshuffled his government on Sunday, appointing a new defence minister as his government tries to stem an Islamist insurgency. Barre did not give a reason for the reshuffle, which was read out by the government spokesperson in a video posted on the government's Facebook account. Ahmed Moallim Fiqi Ahmed, who previously served as foreign minister and national security chief, was appointed defence minister, replacing Jibril Abdirashid. Barre also appointed a new second deputy prime minister, Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi, and a new foreign minister, Abdisaalan Abdi Ali Daay. The appointment of a new defence minister comes as the government struggles to halt recent gains by al-Shabaab in an offensive by the al-Qa’ida-allied group.

Twelve Niger soldiers killed in attack, two suspects detained, says army

(£) Reuters, 26/04/2025

Twelve Nigerien soldiers have been killed in an attack in the west of the Sahel country, and two suspects have been arrested, the army said in a statement seen by Reuters on Saturday. The attack took place on Friday near the tri-border region of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, epicentre of a jihadi insurgency in West Africa linked to al-Qa’ida and Daesh. Armed men on Friday launched a "surprise offensive" on a military unit out on a mission about six miles north of the village of Sakoira, the statement said, referring to the assailants as terrorists.

Also: Associated Press

Aussies react after Welcome to Country ceremony was hijacked by neo-Nazis on Anzac Day

Daily Mail, 26/04/2025

A group of apparent neo-Nazis who booed a Welcome to Country during an Anzac Day dawn service in Melbourne have sparked fierce criticism from Australians. Thousands of people travelled in the pre-dawn darkness on Friday to commemorate those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. But a group of between six and ten people, allegedly including prominent neo-Nazi figure Jacob Hersant, heckled and booed during Bunurong elder Mark Brown's Welcome to Country at the start of the event. Hersant, the leader of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network, was later seen in a heated exchange with a reporter. The incident has attracted condemnation from across the political spectrum and sparked debate about Welcome to Country ceremonies in Australia.

Benin tensions with Burkina, Niger open door for jihadists

AFP, 25/04/2025

Diplomatic tensions between Benin and its junta-led Sahel neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso have led to a security vacuum which jihadis are exploiting with ever-deadlier attacks, analysts told AFP. North Benin, which borders both Niger and Burkina Faso, has seen a recent rise in strikes targeting army positions, with an attack last week claimed by al-Qa’ida-linked Islamists killing 54 soldiers, the deadliest toll given by officials so far. Benin's government has blamed those attacks on a spillover from Niger and Burkina Faso, both ruled by army officers who took power in coups on the promise of quashing the Sahel region's long-running jihadi scourge.

Residents say gunmen kill at least 20 people in mining village of Nigeria's Zamfara state

(£) Reuters, 25/04/2025

Gunmen have killed at least 20 people in an attack in a gold-mining village in Nigeria's northwestern Zamfara state, residents and Amnesty International said. Details on a possible motive for the attack were not immediately known, but Zamfara has grappled with kidnappings for ransom by armed gangs, who also target security forces. Ismail Hassan, a resident, told Reuters gunmen in their hundreds opened fire on miners on Thursday afternoon, and a firefight ensued, with over 20 people dead in the mining village of Gobirawa Chali in the Maru local government area of Zamfara State.

African leaders call for more peacekeepers for Somalia to defend against al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab

Associated Press, 25/04/2025

African leaders meeting in Uganda on Friday called for more peacekeepers for Somalia to defend against the extremist al-Qa’ida-linked al-Shabaab militant group that has been wreaking havoc in the Horn of Africa nation. A statement at the end of a regional leaders' meeting in the Ugandan capital of Kampala suggested additional troops could possibly come from Egypt. More than 10,000 African Union troops are currently deployed to Somalia, nearly half of them from Uganda. The AU troops were authorised by the UN Security Council, and multiple versions of the peacekeeping mission have been deployed there since 2007.

US says blast near Yemen UNESCO world heritage site caused by Houthi missile

(£) Reuters, 25/04/2025

The US military said on Thursday a blast on Sunday 20 April near a UNESCO world heritage site in Yemen's capital city of Sanaa was caused by a Houthi missile and not an American airstrike. The Houthi-run health ministry said a dozen people were killed in the US strike in a neighbourhood of Sanaa. The Old City of Sanaa is a recognised UNESCO World Heritage Site. A US Central Command spokesperson said the damage and casualties described by Yemen's Houthi officials "likely did occur", but they were not caused by a US attack. The closest US strike that night was more than three miles away, the spokesperson said.

Canada PM Carney condemns Israeli blockade on food, says WFP must be allowed to work in Gaza

(£) Reuters, 26/04/2025

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney urged Israel to allow the World Food Programme to work in Gaza, saying food must not be used as a 'political tool', hours after the UN agency ran out of stocks due to a sustained Israeli blockade on supplies. The WFP said on Friday it had delivered its last remaining supplies to kitchens providing hot meals in Gaza and that the facilities were expected to run out of food in the coming days. "The UN World Food Programme just announced that its food stocks in Gaza have run out because of the Israeli Government's blockade—food cannot be used as a political tool," Carney said on X.

Israeli official accuses UK minister of 'blood libel' over Gaza aid worker killings

Middle East Eye, 27/04/2025

An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson appeared to accuse a British minister of "blood libel" for suggesting that Israel has targeted Palestinian aid workers in Gaza.

Anger as Youth Demand say 'compassionate' activists who disrupted London Marathon made 'massive sacrifice'

LBC News, 27/04/2025

Youth Demand have claimed that the activists who disrupted the London Marathon on Tower Bridge have made "a massive sacrifice".

'Would I have stood up for Anne Frank?' Just Stop Oil activist compares group's protests to WWII Resistance

LBC News, 27/04/2025

A Just Stop Oil spokesperson has compared her group's protests to members of the Resistance in the Second World War.

Why did Jordan ban the Muslim Brotherhood?

Middle East Eye, 27/04/2025

Jordan's decision to formally ban the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's most vocal opposition group, may have come after coordinated pressure from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel.

Are India and Pakistan headed for war?

Middle East Eye, 27/04/2025

While there is some validity to longstanding Indian accusations that Pakistan supports insurgents, Modi’s far-right politics are another important factor in the recent development, writes BJ Sadiq.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Over 100,000 Syrian lives on hold in EU and UK amid lingering asylum freeze

Middle East Eye, 26/04/2025

More than 100,000 Syrian lives remain on hold after the UK and several European countries paused asylum claims following the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Pro-Palestine activists target Glasgow office over weapons firms ties

(£) The National, 27/04/2025

Pro-Palestine activists have targeted a facility in Glasgow over its links to weapons firms which supply parts to the Israeli military.

Patrick McClean left out of Glentoran squad amid club investigation into appearance at New IRA parade

(£) Belfast Telegraph, 26/04/2025

Patrick McClean has been left out of the Glentoran team as they take on Larne after the club said it was investigating footage allegedly showing the player attending a dissident republican rally in Derry.

UN: Bring Pahalgam Terrorists to Justice

Asian Lite, 26/04/2025

The UN Security Council has “condemned in the strongest terms” the Pahalgam terrorist attack and urged all countries to cooperate in bringing all those involved in the massacre to justice.

Man jailed for possessing bomb-making guide after police sting into indecent images of children

LBC News, 25/04/2025

A man was found to possess a bomb-making guide and other extreme right-wing terrorism documents when police searched his home for indecent images of children.

Rabbis condemn Israel in latest show of Jewish opposition to Gaza war

Middle East Eye, 25/04/2025

A group of rabbis in the UK have condemned Israel's assault on Gaza in the latest public indication of growing dissent and opposition to the conflict within British Jewish communities.

Security worker accused of directing masked men at New IRA parade to remain in custody

(£) Belfast Telegraph, 25/04/2025

A security worker accused of directing men in paramilitary uniforms as violence flared during a dissident republican parade in Derry is set to remain in custody.

Experts warn of 'impunity' amidst Indian calls to implement 'Israel playbook' in Kashmir

Middle East Eye, 25/04/2025

The comparison between India's control over Kashmir and Israel's occupation of Palestine has long been made by academics and activists.

Israeli press review: Far-right minister clashes with army chief over aid

Middle East Eye, 25/04/2025

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich clashed with Israeli army chief of staff Eyal Zamir during an Israeli cabinet meeting held this week on the issue of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Israel will not send a senior representative to Pope Francis' funeral

Middle East Eye, 25/04/2025

Israel is sending only its ambassador to the Vatican to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, as its response to the Catholic leader's death remains muted.

Nearly a quarter of Gaza's population displaced since Israel broke ceasefire, UN says

Middle East Eye, 25/04/2025

About 500,000 people in Gaza have been newly displaced since the Israel–Hamas ceasefire ended last month, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on Friday.

US Backs India's Hunt for Pahalgam Terrorists

Asian Lite, 25/04/2025

Tulsi Gabbard, US Director of National Intelligence, on Friday said that the US supports India's “hunt” for the perpetrators of the “horrific Islamist terrorist attack” in Pahalgam that took place earlier this week.

Washington watches as India and Pakistan feud (again)

(£) Politico, 25/04/2025

Tensions are soaring between India and Pakistan following a deadly terror attack against civilians in the disputed Kashmir region on Tuesday, and the Trump administration may not intervene as it has in the past to halt the spiral of escalation between the two nuclear powers.

Mahmoud Abbas has utterly failed to show leadership at a moment of crisis

Middle East Eye, 25/04/2025

Amid the Gaza genocide and looming threats of expulsion, the Palestinian people need a leader who can rally all factions together around a common cause, writes Abed Abou Shhadeh.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Why forcing Hamas to disarm will not end Israel's genocide

Middle East Eye, 25/04/2025

Israel has presented the group's disarmament as a precondition for peace—but this narrative is dangerously misleading, writes Saeed Ziad.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Gary Lineker perfectly highlighted BBC hypocrisy on Israel

(£) The National, 26/04/2025

Running like a thread through BBC coverage is the basic sense that Palestinian life is worth only the tiniest fraction of Israeli life, writes Owen Jones.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Iraq arrests ISIS suspect accused of inciting New Orleans truck attack

The National Newspaper, 27/04/2025

Iraqi authorities have arrested a suspected member of Daesh for inciting a truck-ramming attack in January that killed 14 people in the US city of New Orleans, Iraq's judiciary said on Sunday.

Syrian tribesmen kill 14 Alawites in latest sectarian violence

The National Newspaper, 27/04/2025

Gunmen killed and abducted 14 members of Syria's Alawite minority in the space of 72 hours, it was revealed on Sunday, as security forces cordoned off neighbourhoods to prevent further attacks.

Security forces kill 54 terrorists attempting to infiltrate Pak–Afghan border

The News International, 27/04/2025

Security forces have killed 54 terrorists who were trying to infiltrate into Pakistan from neighbouring Afghanistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's North Waziristan district, the military's media wing said on Sunday.

India and Pakistan troops exchange fire in Kashmir

AFP, 27/04/2025

Troops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire in disputed Kashmir for a third night in a row, officials said Sunday, as relations between the nuclear-armed rivals plunged to their lowest level in years.

‘Burst balloon’: How Pahalgam attack shattered Modi’s Kashmir narrative

Al Jazeera, 28/04/2025

Since 2019, the Modi government has argued Kashmir was returning to ‘normalcy’. The attack exposed holes in its approach, analysts say.

Israel strikes Beirut for third time since ceasefire

The National Newspaper, 27/04/2025

Israel's military struck Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday after issuing a warning about an hour earlier, marking the third strike on the area since a ceasefire took effect in late November.

No place for racism and hate in France, says Macron after Muslim killed in mosque

AFP, 27/04/2025

There can never be a place for racism and hate in France, President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday after the brutal stabbing to death of a Muslim in a mosque in the south of the country.

Sudan Doctors Network accuses RSF of ‘war crimes’ after 31 killed

Al Jazeera, 27/04/2025

At least 31 people, including children, have been executed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman, according to the Sudan Doctors Network.

Nation standing behind armed forces: PPP leader

The News International, 26/04/2025

Former federal minister and Pakistan People's Party leader Khawaja Muhammad Khan Hoti said that the entire nation was standing behind the armed forces to defend the motherland in case of any misadventure by India.

Pakistan and India should end disputes through talks: Bilawal

The News International, 27/04/2025

The chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has said a solution to problems between Pakistan and India is possible through talks.

PTI long march attack: ATC awards shooter life term, fine

The News International, 27/04/2025

Anti-terrorism court special judge Naeem Saleem has awarded a life term on two counts and a fine to the accused in the Imran Khan attack case.

Security forces neutralise 15 terrorists in three KP operations

The News International, 26/04/2025

Fifteen terrorists and Pakistan Army soldiers were killed during three separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media wing said on Saturday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appoints aide as PLO deputy

Al Jazeera, 26/04/2025

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has appointed a close aide as vice president, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said.

Houthis say eight wounded in US strikes on Yemen capital

AFP, 27/04/2025

Iran-backed Houthis said Saturday that a series of US strikes on territory under their control including the Yemeni capital Sanaa had wounded at least eight people.

At least 11 killed in suspected RSF drone attack on Sudan displacement camp

Al Jazeera, 26/04/2025

A suspected drone attack by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary has killed at least 11 people at a displacement camp in River Nile State, authorities said.

IWT and lawfare in South Asia

The News International, 27/04/2025

Immediately after the terrorist incident at Pahalgam, India proceeded to a series of illegal, unlawful and unethical acts, writes Kamran Adil.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Let there be restraint

The News International, 26/04/2025

Editorial comment calling for both India and Pakistan to show restraint as tensions escalate following a terror attack in Kashmir.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Iran offers mediation between Pakistan, India

The News International, 26/04/2025

Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the terrorist attack in Kashmir, Iran on Friday offered to mediate between the two neighbouring countries.

India blows up homes of two ‘Kashmir attack suspects’

AFP, 26/04/2025

Soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir on Friday blew up the family homes of two men who police allege were among a gang that carried out the region’s deadliest attack against civilians for decades.

‘We’re cursed’: Kashmiris under attack across India after Pahalgam killings

Al Jazeera, 25/04/2025

India blames Pakistan for the killing of 26 tourists. But on city streets, Kashmiris are facing the brunt of Indians’ anger.

Mahrang launches hunger strike

AFP, 26/04/2025

Detained activist Mahrang Baloch has launched a hunger strike along with other detainees, her sister told AFP on Friday.

Senate passes resolution rejecting India's claims linking Pakistan to Pahalgam attack

Geo News, 25/04/2025

The Senate of Pakistan passed a unanimous resolution rejecting India's allegations linking Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, labelling them as baseless and politically motivated.

At least six terrorists gunned down in Bannu IBO: ISPR

The News International, 25/04/2025

Security forces eliminated at least six terrorists and injured four others during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu district, the military's media affairs wing said on Friday.

Either our water or your blood will flow in Indus, Bilawal warns Modi

The News International, 26/04/2025

The chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Friday said just as the PPP did not allow a controversial canal project without consensus of all the federating units, the people of all the four provinces will stand united and give a resounding response to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s aggression on the Indus River.

Hoax bomb calls trigger security response at two Islamabad hotels

The News International, 26/04/2025

The Islamabad Police and security agencies swiftly responded to bomb threats at two hotels in the federal capital on Friday.

Nine terrorists killed in Pishin: CTD

The News International, 26/04/2025

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Balochistan Police has foiled a major terror plot by a banned organisation in Pishin District, killing nine alleged terrorists during an operation.

World must fear war between nuclear-powered Pakistan, India: Asif

The News International, 25/04/2025

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has urged the global community to take serious note of rising tensions between Pakistan and India, warning that the situation could spiral into a full-scale conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations.

Key militant groups in the Kashmir insurgency

Deutsche Welle, 25/04/2025

Amid Kashmir's deadliest attack in decades, DW looks at the major militant groups in the conflict, exploring their local impact and global jihadi connections.

Lebanon summons Iranian ambassador over Hezbollah disarmament comments

The National Newspaper, 25/04/2025

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador after he described plans to disarm Tehran-backed militant group Hizballah as “a clear conspiracy”.

Jordan’s ban on the Muslim Brotherhood: Extremist ideas can die too

Al Arabiya, 25/04/2025

If we take the German experience as an example, writes Mamdouh AlMuhaini, we see that the victors didn’t just crush the Nazis militarily—they banned them and offered a successful economic and cultural alternative that relegated Nazism to the dustbin of history. This is exactly what must happen with the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology, which has lasted far longer than it should have.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

India and Pakistan can’t afford a war

The News International, 26/04/2025

I respectfully appeal to both countries to cool down and adopt the wise and statesmanlike course of action suggested by Imran Khan after the Pulwama attack in 2019, writes Justice Markandey Katju, a former judge on India's Supreme Court.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Al Jazeera (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• LIVE: Israel kills 17 in pre-dawn attacks on Gaza; US bombs Yemen’s Sanaa; ‘Burst balloon’: How Pahalgam attack shattered Modi’s Kashmir narrative; At least 8 killed in latest US air attacks on Yemen’s capital, Saana; North Korea confirms soldiers sent to fight with Russia against Ukraine

Al Arabiya (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• Israel says it struck Hezbollah missiles in southern Beirut; Saudi Arabia, Qatar to settle Syria’s World Bank debt; Gaza ceasefire talks make some progress, Qatari PM says; Iran port blast kills 40; defense ministry denies military cargo at site; Zelenskyy says Ukraine still fighting in Russia’s Kursk

Geo TV (Pakistan, Urdu and English)

• Live updates on Pakistan, India tensions; Live updates: Middle East crisis; Candidates in Canada election make final pitches under shadow of Vancouver tragedy; 'Highest-ever': 54 terrorists killed as infiltration bid foiled on Pak-Afghan border