Today's Newsletter

• Multiple sources report that a teenage girl who attacked two teachers and a pupil last year had previously been found with a knife, war memorabilia and a BB gun in her school bag, a multi-agency review has found. The independent review by Gladys Rhodes White found the girl, who was found guilty of attempted murder this year, was at one point considered to be referred to Prevent but it was not pursued. It added, “Had this assessment occurred, this may have been a pathway through which agencies could consider alternative help, or for monitoring and support to be provided.”

• Stephen Yaxley-Lennon will not face charges over an alleged assault at St Pancras station last month, it was widely reported. The Crown Prosecution Service concluded that “there was not a realistic prospect of conviction” after the alleged victim of the attack “did not want to provide a statement” to police during their investigation. The far-right activist was arrested at Luton airport on Monday, 4th August.

• The Times reports that the government's former anti-extremism tsar has raised concerns that the proscribed Palestine Action may be continuing its alleged campaign of "criminal sabotage" through copycat groups. Lord Walney, who served as the government’s independent adviser on political violence and disruption between 2020 and this year, believed that four activists who were arrested after breaking into and damaging property at a defence manufacturer used similar tactics to Palestine Action, despite identifying themselves as Palestinian Martyrs for Justice. He added, "The home secretary has powers under the Terrorism Act to deal with aliases swiftly; I am sure she will be ready to use them.”

• Two children were killed and at least 17 people were injured during a church shooting in Minneapolis, it was widely reported. The alleged attacker, 23-year-old Robin Westman, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene after carrying out the attack at Minneapolis Catholic church. The motive for the shooting is still unknown, but it is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics.

• Reuters reports that Israel will reveal more information in the next few days on a strike that killed five journalists in Gaza. Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters, "Our goal is to fight terrorists, not journalists, not anyone who is not involved in terrorism,” after journalists who worked for Reuters, the Associated Press, Al Jazeera and other outlets were among 20 dead in a strike on Nasser hospital. Acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Dorothy Shea told the Security Council that Israel's military had concluded six Hamas members were also killed in the strike, adding, "the IDF struck the site Hamas was using to monitor troops at the hospital".

• A member of a Daesh beheading gang has applied to move back to Britain so that he can be closer to family and friends, Daily Mail reports. El Shafee Elsheikh is currently serving life in a high-security US jail after he was convicted in 2022 of hostage-taking and conspiring to murder - notably being involved in the killings of David Haines, James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller. The Ministry of Justice said, "We have not received any application from the US, but we have the right to refuse any request."

Teenager who stabbed three at school was considered for anti-terror scheme

(£) Daily Telegraph, 27/08/2025

A teenager who stabbed three people at her school was previously considered for referral to the anti-terror programme Prevent, a report has revealed. The 13-year-old girl had a curiosity for war memorabilia, Adolf Hitler and weapons, alongside claiming to speak German and Russian. After she was found with a knife at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, a referral to the Government’s anti-terror scheme was discussed but not pursued. The girl later armed herself with her father’s multi-tool and attacked teachers Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin and a pupil in April last year. All three were taken to hospital for treatment to knife injuries and discharged the following day, police said.

Also: BBC News, Daily Mail, The Guardian, ITV News, PA Media

Copycat groups carrying on work of Palestine Action, says peer

(£) The Times, 27/08/2025

The government’s former anti-extremism tsar has raised concerns that Palestine Action may be continuing its campaign of “criminal sabotage” through copycat groups. Four activists were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of criminal damage after allegedly breaking into and damaging property at a defence manufacturer in the West Midlands. The four are said to have crashed a vehicle through the gates of Moog Aircraft Group in Pendeford, Wolverhampton. The protesters allegedly scaled the roof of a building in the complex before causing “significant damage” to a number of skylights and solar panels. A female voice in a video posted on social media said that the group’s break-in was to “destroy the machines that are being used to make parts for the F-35 fighter jets” used by the Israeli military to bomb Gaza.

Sir Ed Davey to boycott Donald Trump state dinner with King Charles in Gaza protest

Sky News, 28/08/2025

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has refused an invitation from King Charles to a state dinner with Donald Trump in protest over Gaza. Sir Ed, who has been vocal in his disapproval of the US president, said he "thought and prayed long and hard" about whether to accept the invitation to the state banquet at Windsor Castle during Mr Trump's historic second visit next month. "I have come to the conclusion that on this occasion I must refuse," he wrote in The Guardian. The Lib Dem leader said it is an "enormous honour" to receive an invitation from the king, and he takes "very seriously my duty to our sovereign". "To refuse an invitation like this goes against all my instincts," he added. But, he said he fears Mr Trump will be honoured with a "lavish dinner at one of our finest palaces and nobody reminds him that he has the power to stop the horrifying starvation, death, and captivities in Gaza".

Also: The Guardian

British journalists demand action from PM over war in Gaza

Sky News, 28/08/2025

British journalists have called on Sir Keir Starmer to protect their Gazan counterparts and press Israel to allow international reporters into the war zone. A vigil was held opposite Downing Street on Wednesday for the nearly 200 journalists killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023. Ahead of the gathering, the National Union of Journalists' (NUJ) London freelance branch handed a letter to Number 10 calling on the prime minister to clarify what steps the government is taking to protect journalists in Gaza and to ensure they have safe access to food, water and necessary equipment. They also asked what the government is doing to get international journalists into Gaza to report freely. Currently, Israel only allows them in under IDF supervision.

Tommy Robinson won’t be charged over alleged assault at St Pancras

(£) The Times, 27/08/2025

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon will not face charges over an alleged assault at St Pancras station last month. The Crown Prosecution Service concluded that “there was not a realistic prospect of conviction”, according to the British Transport Police. Police said that after an investigation, the victim of the attack “did not want to provide a statement”. The far-right activist, who is also known as Tommy Robinson, was arrested at Luton airport on Monday, August 4. Hours after the alleged incident at the central London station, he travelled to the Spanish island of Tenerife before police apprehended him.

Also: BBC News, Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, (£) Daily Telegraph, GB News, The Guardian, (£) The Independent, ITV News, Sky News

Epping migrant claims witness called him handsome and invited him home

(£) Daily Telegraph, 27/08/2025

An asylum seeker accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl has claimed a woman who intervened called him handsome and invited him home. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu allegedly told the teenager that she would be a “good wife” and that he wanted her to go back with him to the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, to “have babies then... go to Kenya”. Mr Kebatu, who previously told the court his age was 38, is accused of attempting to kiss the girl, putting his hand on her thigh and brushing her hair last month. He has now claimed a woman who intervened, who he said “was drunk” told him: “You are handsome, I want you to come to my house”.

Also: BBC News, GB News, The Guardian, ITV News, (£) The Times

Top refugee charity demands migrants from Iran, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Sudan and Syria walk free on UK streets under 'one-off' mass hotel release

GB News, 28/08/2025

A top refugee charity has demanded that migrants from Iran, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Sudan and Syria walk free on Britain's streets under a "one-off" mass release scheme from hotels. With Labour under heavy pressure to close the hotels - and deport their inhabitants - the Refugee Council has tabled a new proposal to simply let the countries' migrants stay in the UK, albeit temporarily. As a result, the charity says the hotels could be closed next year if the Government allows people from certain countries to stay under the "one-off scheme". People given temporary permission to stay would be those likely to receive recognition as "refugees".

Also: PA Media

Epping migrant hotel fresh legal battle to begin in just hours as court prepares for Labour appeal

GB News, 27/08/2025

The Epping migrant hotel legal battle will restart tomorrow as the court prepares for a Labour appeal of the decision to remove asylum seekers from the accommodation. The owner of The Bell Hotel in Epping will also challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal tomorrow. Epping Forest District Council was successful in their bid for an interim injunction to stop migrants from being housed at the Bell Hotel on Tuesday. The successful injunction meant that the hotel’s owner, Somani Hotels Limited, had to stop housing asylum seekers there within 14 days of the ruling. The Home Office's previous bid was dismissed by Mr Justice Eyre, who said the department’s involvement was "not necessary".

Shameless Elon Musk shows support for Tommy Robinson after reigniting Farage feud

Daily Mirror, 27/08/2025

Elon Musk has reignited his feud with Nigel Farage - and reiterated his support for Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. The tech billionaire branded Mr Farage "weak sauce who will do nothing" as he attacked the Reform UK leader over his migration plans. Musk made the comment as he backed Advance UK, a new hard-right splinter party set up by Reform UK's former deputy leader Ben Habib and supported by Yaxley-Lennon. Musk was replying to a post on X/ Twitter by far-right activist Yaxley-Lennon, who was released on police bail in connection with an assault earlier this month. He was calling on Rupert Lowe - a former Reform UK MP who was ousted from the party after a separate feud with Mr Farage - to join Advance UK.

Also: (£) The Independent, PA Media

Revealed: The truth about the 'migrant' who a Dundee schoolgirl brandished a knife at... and how wrong rabble rousers Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson were

Daily Mail, 28/08/2025

The ugly video clip from a Dundee housing estate in which a schoolgirl brandished a knife and an axe soon went viral, with influencers such as Elon Musk and Stephen Yaxley-Lennon pitching in to claim the man filming the exchange was a 'migrant'. Others lauded the girl as a 'Braveheart' figure, defending her homeland from a predatory alien, with comparisons quickly cited about the Asian grooming gangs scandals of Rotherham and Rochdale. Now we can reveal the man being threatened is a family man who has been living in the UK for four years – and who was accompanied by his wife on the way to the shops when the incident occurred. Far from being fresh off a cross-channel small inflatable, as implied by Yaxley-Lennon and Musk, Fatos Ali Dumana, 21, says he came to Britain legally from Bulgaria he and his wife have an eight-month-old baby.

Man 'threatened' over flag outside his home

BBC News, 27/08/2025

A Stourbridge man has said he felt "threatened" after a St George's flag was put up by two men on a lamppost outside his home. The resident, in his 70s and wishing to remain anonymous, said the men refused to take the flag down. He reported it to police, who are now investigating. Patrick Harley, the Conservative leader of Dudley Council, said people should be able to "express their love for our flag" by flying it "loud and proud". The anonymous resident, who is being referred to as Bob, said he saw two men with a ladder outside his home at about 20:15 BST on Sunday when he and his wife were watching television.

Also: Birmingham Mail

Britain 'turning its back on a generation of boys' as youths 'fall prey to silent addictions'

GB News, 28/08/2025

Britain is turning its back on a generation of boys, while so-called "manosphere" influencers are moving in to claim them, damning new research has found. Fresh data shared with GB News shows hundreds of thousands of young men are drifting into unemployment, exclusion, crime and even suicide - while social media stars like Andrew Tate are stepping up as their role models. Mark Brooks OBE, of the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys, told the People's Channel that this is the result of a 30-year “policy silence” on boys’ education and well-being. He said: “The narrative has been that girls have problems and boys are problems. If boys do have problems, it’s their fault.” Mr Brooks warned that the silence has left a vacuum - and it’s being filled by influencers like Andrew Tate.

Crime fears revealed on London's public transport

BBC News, 28/08/2025

Almost four in 10 people using London's transport network have "felt worried" and nearly 10% were deterred from travelling due to a worrying incident they had experienced, according to Transport for London (TfL). New data on crime and anti-social behaviour, external found the most cited worrying incidents on the London Underground network were drunken passengers or passengers drinking alcohol. TfL said it is committed to working with the police "to prevent crime and reduce offending, so that every journey made in London is safe and feels safe". Recorded crime this year on the London Underground was 0.9% higher than during the previous year and hate crime has decreased by 4.6% from 627 hate offences last year compared with 598 this year.

'We still live in fear a year after the riots'

BBC News, 28/08/2025

Last summer, anti-immigration protests erupted into violence in towns and cities across the country. A group supporting black and Asian women says many are still living in fear a year on, but their voices have not been adequately heard. On 2 August last year, Nusaiba Maisha was on her way to work in Sunderland when she was confronted by two masked men in hoodies. "They asked me was if I was a Muslim because I was wearing a hijab," the slightly built 21-year-old from the city says. When she didn't respond, they attacked her. One man grabbed her neck from behind, the other shouted "go back to your country, why are you here" the "usual stuff" according to Nusaiba. She managed to flee, but is still traumatised by what happened.

England flags spark pride and concern amid anti-immigration protests

(£) Reuters, 27/08/2025

The red and white St George's Cross and the Union Jack flags have proliferated along streets across England in recent weeks in what supporters say is a campaign to show national pride, but others fear is part of growing anti-immigration sentiment. The flags have emerged during a politically charged summer in Britain that has been dominated by the subject of migration, with the YouGov monthly sentiment tracker showing that since the end of June immigration has overtaken the economy as voters' biggest concern. The appearance of flags has coincided with a wave of protests in recent weeks outside hotels sheltering asylum seekers.

St George's crosses in roads will be removed by Bristol City Council

Bristol Post, 27/08/2025

Several areas of Bristol have seen St George's crosses in recent days Bristol City Council says it will remove or paint over any English flags painted on roads under its control. St George's Flags have been painted on roads, roundabouts and other infrastructure around Bristol in recent days as part of a national movement dubbed 'Raise the Colours'. Flags have also been seen flown from street lights and telephone poles, with one even painted on to the side of Avon Gorge. Council Leader Tony Dyer said the council did not have a problem with people flying flags, citing the example of sporting events and other times of national pride. But he said the council would be forced to intervene in cases when they were painted or otherwise drawn on infrastructure.

England flags and fascist symbols plastered around Welsh village

Wales Online, 27/08/2025

A community has rallied to clean road signs and bus stops in Cwmbran after they were graffitied with the colours of the England flag. It comes after similar incidents were reported in other parts of Wales earlier this week including in Llandudno. Images posted by Sam Higgins of popular social media page Henllys Life showed how the village of Henllys near Cwmbran had been vandalised with the colours. Locals reported a Nazi symbol had also been painted in a public place in the area as well as a message which read: "Stop the boats." In response Sam said many people banded together in the tight-knit village to scrub the graffiti away on Tuesday with soap and water.

Andrew Tate set for Misfits Boxing debut this year despite legal battles

Daily Mirror, 27/08/2025

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate is in discussions to make his debut in Misfits Boxing later this year. Tate has been seen training consistently over the past few months and was recently spotted honing his grappling skills in Dubai. Despite lacking boxing experience, the 38-year-old had a successful kickboxing career, becoming a four-time world champion. However, eye injuries forced him into an early retirement, impacting his final few bouts. An official announcement about Tate's Misfits debut could be made as early as this weekend, according to Yahoo. Four women have lodged lawsuits against the former professional kickboxer, accusing him of sexual violence, allegations he vehemently denies. A trial examining these claims is slated to commence in London next summer.

Co-op to stock Palestinian beer after banning produce from Israel

(£) Daily Telegraph, 27/08/2025

Co-op has unveiled plans to stock Palestinian beer in its stores just weeks after banning produce from Israel. The retailer will start selling lagers from Palestine’s first microbrewery, Taybeh Brewing, early next month with Co-op saying it was “proud to be able to sell the beer in our stores”. Taybeh, founded in 1994 and one of only two breweries in Palestine, will make the beer in Scotland through a partnership with local company Brewgooder. Co-op is expected to stock the lager, known as Sun & Stone, in 1,600 stores across the UK from Sept 10. Taybeh and Brewgooder said the tie-up would allow the Palestinian brewer to continue producing as it was “unable to export freely because of checkpoint delays, customs restrictions and soaring operational costs under occupation”.

How the sudden spread of flags split Salford

BBC News, 28/08/2025

Almost overnight, some of Salford's busiest roads became the latest scene in a striking national campaign. Union Jack flags, secured in place by cable ties at a significant height, are fluttering from dozens of lampposts in the Broughton Road area and extend all the way into Salford Shopping City. The trend is known online as Operation Raise the Colours, described by those involved as a grassroots effort to promote national pride and patriotism - and first appeared on the streets of Birmingham. However there are also concerns about a more divisive motive and claims of links to extremist far-right organisations. There is also the question of what happens to the flags going forward, and whether local authorities can or should leave them in place.

If politicians want to know how Britain reached a tipping point, they just need to visit Bournemouth

(£) Daily Telegraph, 27/08/2025

Isabel Oakeshott writes, "The seaside town once famous for its elderly population is now awash with resentment and fear towards asylum seekers housed in three hotels".

This is comment or editorial reporting.

New search taking place in Co Monaghan bog for IRA victim Columba McVeigh

PA Media, 27/08/2025

A new dig is taking place at Bragan Bog in Co Monaghan to search for the remains of Tyrone teenager Columba McVeigh. The 19-year-old from Donaghmore was abducted by the Provisional IRA, killed and secretly buried in 1975. He is one of the “Disappeared” victims of the Troubles whose bodies have still to be found. The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) has previously conducted six unsuccessful searches at Bragan Bog in Co Monaghan since 1999, covering more than 26 acres. After the last search ended without a breakthrough in November 2023, a review was carried out by the ICLVR into parts of the bog that had and had not been searched.

US firms launch court battle against Starmer’s free speech crackdown

(£) Daily Telegraph, 27/08/2025

US social media companies have launched a court battle against Sir Keir Starmer’s “censorship laws”. The companies, which operate the 4chan and Kiwi Farms websites, have applied to a federal court for a “permanent injunction”, alleging the Online Safety Act violates the United States Constitution. Lawyers questioned the “independence” of Ofcom, the media regulator which enforces the Act, and shared concerns that it was being used as an “arm of the British state” to “violate Americans’ civil rights”. The legislation allows the British Government to fine companies such as X, Apple, Meta and Donald Trump’s social media platform Truth Social if it finds that rules on hate speech have been broken.

Also: BBC News

Australia plans defence against malicious drone attacks

Australian Associated Press, 27/08/2025

Australia's military is investing in drone-destroying technology able to be used to protect large civil events such as football grand finals from malicious attacks. The Albanese government has promised to spend $10 billion over the next decade on technology that would be able to take down hostile drones, to protect large-scale public gatherings and military bases. As part of the program, called Land 156, Australian companies will be given money to make lasers, signal jammers and other hardware to take down drones. One of those companies is Leidos Australia, which will be given more than $45 million to take a lead role in supplying the anti-drone technology under a deal Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy signed in Canberra on Wednesday.

ISIS Beatle 'Jihadi Ringo' who was part of a gang that filmed the killings of hostages makes a bid to return to the UK

Daily Mail, 28/08/2025

A Daesh member who was part of a beheading gang dubbed “The Beatles” has applied to move back to his 'home country' Britain so he can be closer to family and friends. El Shafee Elsheikh is currently serving life in a high-security US jail after he was convicted in 2022 of hostage-taking and conspiring to murder. His gang videoed the killings of captives, of which one was aid worker David Haines - whose daughter Bethany has called Elsheikh's bid to move prisons an 'outrageous insult'. Elsheikh was born in Sudan and grew up in London but had his British citizenship revoked in 2018. The gang's victims also included Americans James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller.

Also: (£) Daily Telegraph, The Sun

Security forces agents kills 13 militants in southeast Iran

Associated Press, 27/08/2025

Iran's security forces Wednesday killed 13 militants in three separate operations in south-east of the country, state TV reported. The report said that eight of the dead were part of a group that killed five policemen last Friday while they were on patrol in the province. Iranian media have blamed that killing on the militant group Jaish al-Adl, which describes itself as seeking greater rights for the ethnic Baluch minority. The report said clashes between security forces and the militants happened in three different cities in the south-eastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan. It also said more militants were detained in the operation but did not elaborate on the number of the detainees, adding that both police and paramilitary Revolutionary Guard took part in the operation.

IAEA chief gets special police protection over threats as deadline approaches over Iran sanctions

Associated Press, 27/08/2025

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is receiving special police protection from Austria following a threat, the Vienna-based organization acknowledged Wednesday, as its inspectors reportedly returned to Iran to monitor a fuel transfer at the country's sole nuclear power plant. The protection for Director-General Rafael Grossi comes as tensions over Iran's nuclear program are rising again. France, Germany and the United Kingdom appear poised to declare "snapback" - the reimplementation of United Nations sanctions on the Islamic Republic over it not allowing IAEA inspections, and other concerns.

Melbourne man charged over synagogue arson linked to Iran

Associated Press, 27/08/2025

A man charged with torching a Melbourne synagogue, in an antisemitic attack that Australia accuses Iran of directing, was remanded in custody when he appeared in court Wednesday. Ali Younes, 20, became the second suspect last week to be charged for the December arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue. Police allege three masked arsonists dowsed the building's interior with a liquid accelerant before igniting it, causing extensive damage and injuring a worshipper. Younes, who lives in Melbourne's northern suburbs, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday by video link from jail.

Iran link to Australian synagogue attack uncovered via funding trail, spy agency says

(£) Reuters, 27/08/2025

Australia's intelligence agency traced the funding of hooded criminals who allegedly set fire to a Melbourne synagogue, linking the antisemitic attack to Iran, officials said, even as those charged with the crime were likely unaware Tehran was their puppet master. A 20-year-old local man, Younes Ali Younes, appeared in Melbourne's Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with the December 6 arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue and theft of a car. He did not enter a plea and did not seek bail. His lawyer declined to comment to Reuters. A day earlier Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia's intelligence agencies had shown the attack, and another in Sydney last year, were directed by the Iranian government, and expelled Tehran's ambassador, becoming the latest Western government to accuse Iran of carrying out hostile covert activities on its soil.

Aussie Iranian community under attack after expulsion

Australian Associated Press, 27/08/2025

Australians of Iranian heritage face verbal abuse and intimidation over Tehran's "insidious" direction of two antisemitic attacks in the nation's largest cities. The Albanese government has taken the extraordinary step of booting Iranian ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi from Australia, making him the first high-ranking diplomat to be expelled since World War II. The nation's spy agency said it had credible evidence the Iranian Revolutionary Guard had orchestrated at least two attacks on Jewish institutions in Sydney and Melbourne through criminals. Mr Sadeghi was spotted leaving the Iranian embassy in Canberra on Wednesday morning. Australian Iranian Society of Victoria vice president Kambiz Razmara said the local diaspora had been asking for the ambassador's expulsion since 2022, following the regime's crackdown on the women's rights movement.

Iran has a long history of exploiting social divisions abroad. They saw an opportunity in Australia and took it

The Guardian, 28/08/2025

Lydia Khalil writes, "The antisemitic attacks in Australia are part of Tehran’s record of malign foreign interference – and it’s now one of the few tools it has left to project power."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

MoD staff warned not to share hidden data before Afghan leak

BBC News, 28/08/2025

Ministry of Defence staff were warned before the Afghan data leak not to share information containing hidden tabs, according to documents released by the UK's data regulator. Last month it emerged that the details of almost 19,000 people who had applied to move to the UK were leaked when an official emailed a spreadsheet that contained a hidden tab with the information. Documents released by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) also show that staff there raised concerns about why the body had not issued a fine to the MoD. The MoD said they had worked to improve data security, but an ICO spokesperson said the government had not yet done enough to learn the lessons.

Tories would 'potentially' strike returns deal with Taliban, says party chairman

PA Media, 27/08/2025

The Conservatives would “potentially” strike a deal with the Afghan Taliban to return Afghan Channel migrants, the party's chairman has said. Kevin Hollinrake's comments come after Nigel Farage raised the possibility of Reform UK negotiating a returns agreement with the Afghan government if his party came to power. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch had refused to say whether she would consider such an agreement, but when asked on Wednesday if the party would consider a returns deal with the Taliban, Mr Hollinrake told Times Radio: “Well, potentially, yes.” But he later told Sky News such a deal would be “very expensive” and have “very significant” human rights consequences, adding that the previous government's proposal of deporting people to Rwanda had been “a better way of doing that”.

Taliban building homes for millions of returning refugees

(£) Daily Telegraph, 27/08/2025

The Afghan Taliban is building homes and towns for millions of migrants and refugees who are being deported back to Afghanistan. In its recently released five-year plan, obtained by The Telegraph, the Afghan Taliban said it was “preparing the ground for the dignified and safe return of Afghan refugees”. It comes as the Islamist regime said it was “ready and willing” to work with Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, to accept Afghans who have entered the UK illegally. A senior Afghan Taliban official said they would “embrace” any Afghans sent back under Mr Farage’s plan, unveiled on Tuesday, to deport 600,000 illegal migrants over five years. Afghanistan is facing one of the world’s largest displacement crises after decades of war and instability.

Farage’s Taliban deal is the least bad option

(£) Daily Telegraph, 27/08/2025

Samuel Ramani writes, “Isolating the group is marginalising its moderates and increasing China and Russia’s influence in the region.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Israel expects to have more information soon on deadly hospital strike

(£) Reuters, 27/08/2025

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said on Wednesday that there will be more information in the next few days on a strike on Nasser hospital in Gaza on Monday, that killed at least 20 people, including five journalists. “We're still looking into the details of that incident, and so that in the next few days we will have more information about that,” Danon told reporters. “Our goal is to fight terrorists, not journalists, not anyone who is not involved in terrorism,” he said. Journalists who worked for Reuters, the Associated Press, Al Jazeera and other outlets were among the dead. Israel's military has concluded six Hamas members were killed in the strike on Nasser hospital on Monday, acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Dorothy Shea told the Security Council.

UN told Israeli strike on Gaza hospital was 'premeditated' - as Sky News uncovers new details about the attack

Sky News, 27/08/2025

The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations has condemned Israel's attack on Nasser Hospital as "a premeditated strike on medics and journalists". The envoy's comments are the latest condemnation of the 25 August attack that killed 22 people, including five journalists. They come as an investigation by Sky News raises new questions about the incident. The IDF said the strike targeted an "observation camera" used by Hamas to monitor troop movements from the hospital, adding that six of those killed were "terrorists". But the camera that the IDF struck was broadcasting a live stream for the news agency Reuters, and the IDF has said that the journalist operating this camera was "not a target".

UN official says ‘all hope is gone’ if Israeli offensive on famine-stricken Gaza City goes ahead

Associated Press, 27/08/2025

If Israel’s military goes ahead with a planned offensive in Gaza City, then “all hope is gone that we’re ever going to see the end to this,” a United Nations official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Israel says the evacuation of Gaza’s most populated city is “inevitable,” adding to international alarm for hundreds of thousands of people there as famine — documented and declared — threatens to spread after 22 months of war. Sam Rose, the acting director of Gaza operations for UNRWA, or the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, said some people are too old, too young or too ill or incapacitated to evacuate Gaza City as Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles have deployed to its outskirts. “You’ve got a population that’s living in abject fear, in abject cruelty, abject humiliation, that has no control whatsoever over their day-to-day, their minute-to minute lives,” Rose said.

Israeli tanks close in on Gaza City, Trump to chair meeting

(£) Reuters, 27/08/2025

Israeli tanks pushed into a new area on the edge of Gaza City overnight, destroying houses and prompting residents to flee, witnesses said, ahead of an expected meeting on the war to be chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday. Tanks late on Tuesday entered into the Ebad-Alrahman neighbourhood on the northern edge of Gaza City and shelled houses, wounding several people and forcing many others, who had been taken by surprise, to move deeper into Gaza's largest city, residents said. Israel has said it is preparing to launch a new offensive in Gaza City, which it describes as Hamas' last bastion. Around half of the enclave's two million people are currently living there and Israel has said they will be told to evacuate.

Also: AFP

Trump holds Gaza policy meeting with Tony Blair and Jared Kushner

(£) Reuters, 28/08/2025

President Donald Trump presided over a policy meeting on Israel's war in Gaza and post-war plans for the Palestinian territory on Wednesday with input from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Trump Middle East envoy Jared Kushner, a senior White House official said. Trump, top White House officials, Blair and Kushner discussed the hostage crisis, plans to escalate food aid deliveries, post-war plans and more, the official told Reuters. The official described the session as "simply a policy meeting," the type frequently held by Trump and his team. Kushner, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, was a key White House adviser on Middle East in Trump's first term. Blair was prime minister during the 2003 Iraq war over which he has faced widespread criticism.

(£) The Times

Gaza City evacuation inevitable, Israeli army warns Palestinians

BBC News, 27/08/2025

The Israeli military has told Palestinians that the evacuation of Gaza City is "inevitable", as its forces prepare to conquer it. In a post on X on Wednesday, the military's Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee said families relocating to the south would "receive the most generous humanitarian aid". Israeli tanks pushed into a new area of Gaza City overnight, forcing more residents to flee, witnesses said. Thousands have already moved because of recent Israeli advances - mostly to other parts of the city, where about a million Palestinians still live. The evacuation call comes as US President Donald Trump is expected to chair a meeting on a post-war vision for Gaza at the White House.

New video reveals third strike in deadly ‘double-tap’ attack on Gaza hospital

CNN, 27/08/2025

Israel has faced global condemnation for back-to-back strikes on the biggest hospital in southern Gaza this week, which killed at least 22 people, including health workers, emergency response crews and five journalists. The attack on the hospital came just after 10 a.m. local time on Monday when a balcony at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis was hit by what appears to be a tank shell, killing a Reuters cameraman and others. Nine minutes later, as a group of rescue workers and other journalists attended to the victims, they were hit as the Israeli military fired again on the hospital – a tactic known as a “double tap.” New video obtained by CNN reveals that this second “tap” was in fact two near-simultaneous strikes. These second and third strikes appear to have caused most of the deaths.

Pope demands ‘collective punishment’ end in Gaza as 10 more die of hunger

The Guardian, 27/08/2025

Ten Palestinians including two children have died from starvation in the last 24 hours, health authorities in Gaza said on Wednesday, as Pope Leo XIV demanded that Israel stop its “collective punishment” of the population in the besieged territory. At least 313 people have died from hunger, including 119 children, since the war in Gaza began and Israel intensified its siege on the Palestinian territory. Last week a UN-backed monitoring body confirmed that Gaza was in the throes of famine and warned that without more aid, increasing numbers of people would lose access to food. As humanitarian conditions continued to worsen, the pope called for a suspension of hostilities.

Also: (£) Reuters

Israel asks global hunger monitor to retract report of famine in Gaza

(£) Reuters, 27/08/2025

Israel asked a global hunger monitor on Wednesday to retract an assessment that found that Gaza City and surrounding areas are suffering from famine and that it will likely spread, dismissing the report as "deeply flawed". The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system said on Friday that 514,000 people - close to a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza - are experiencing famine, with the number due to rise to 641,000 by the end of September. Nearly two years into its war in Gaza Israel has repeatedly dismissed such findings as false and biased in favour of Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Foreign Ministry's director general, Eden Bar Tal, wrote to the IPC on Wednesday asking for a retraction of the report until the body completes a review.

All members of UN Security Council except US say Gaza famine is 'manmade crisis'

Sky News, 27/08/2025

All members of the United Nations Security Council - except the United States - have said the famine in Gaza was a "manmade crisis". In a joint statement, the 14 council members warned the use of starvation as a weapon of war is banned under international humanitarian law. They called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, a substantive surge of aid throughout Gaza, and for Israel to immediately and unconditionally lift all restrictions on aid delivery. Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine and it will likely spread, a global hunger monitor determined last week. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system said 514,000 people, nearly a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza, are experiencing famine.

Also: (£) Reuters

'Exhausted, hungry, and scared': What it's like to be a journalist in Gaza

BBC News, 27/08/2025

"I never imagined that one day I would be living and working in a tent, deprived of the most basic human necessities - even water and a bathroom. "It's more like a greenhouse in the summer and a refrigerator in the winter," journalist Abdullah Miqdad told the BBC. After 22 months of war in Gaza, most journalists find themselves working in tents around hospitals in order to access the electricity and reliable internet connection they need to do their jobs. Power has been cut off across Gaza, so hospitals, whose generators are still functioning, provide the electricity to charge phones and equipment, and offer high points with better mobile reception. But working at hospitals has not afforded them safety, with Israeli strikes on hospitals and their compounds killing a number of journalists during the conflict.

Israeli attacks on Gaza are 'beyond the principle of proportionality,' Italy's Meloni says

Associated Press, 27/08/2025

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza as disproportionate on Wednesday, saying there have been “too many innocent victims" during the nearly two-year-old war sparked by a Hamas-led attack. Meloni, in a wide-ranging speech to a political conference in Rimini, on the Adriatic Sea coast, reiterated Italy's support for Israel's right to self-defence following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. “However, at the same time, we cannot remain silent now, in the face of a reaction that has gone beyond the principle of proportionality,’’ she said, adding that the continued attacks were putting at risk “the historic prospect” of a two-state solution. She cited the killing of five journalists in Gaza on Monday, which she said was “an unacceptable attack on freedom of the press and all those with the courage to risk their lives to recount the drama of war.”

Democratic leaders still support arming Israel. Their voters largely do not, citing Gaza ‘genocide’

(£) The Independent, 27/08/2025

This past week, the global community largely condemned the Israeli government for a strike on a hospital in Gaza that killed 20 people. Israel’s strike killed five journalists, including Maryam Abu Daqqa, who worked for The Independent’s sister site Independent Arabia. Ever since the Israeli government began its Gaza-based response to the October 7th terrorist attack in Israel — where Hamas invaders killed more than 1,100 people and took some 200 hostages — the issue has threatened to split the Democratic Party. This week, the Democratic National Committee’s summer meeting became the latest battleground for the party’s split on Israel.

Two children dead and 17 others injured in Minneapolis school shooting

BBC News, 27/08/2025

Two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed and 17 people were injured when an attacker fired through the windows of a Minneapolis Catholic church at people celebrating Mass, police said. Annunciation Church, which also houses a school, was filled with students when the shooting happened on Wednesday. Of the 17 injured victims, 14 are children and all are expected to survive. The attacker, 23-year-old Robin Westman, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene and had no "significant criminal history", authorities said. "This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping," Police Chief Brian O'Hara told reporters. "The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible," he added.

Also: Associated Press, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, (£) Daily Telegraph, GB News, The Guardian, (£) Reuters, Sky News, (£) The Times

The student turned killer: As praying children are slaughtered, America is left looking for clues in yet another mass shooter's sick online ramblings

Daily Mail, 27/08/2025

It's difficult to imagine a more horrific crime than killing children as they pray in church, so it will be a particular challenge trying to understand the sort of person prepared to do it. Robin Westman was the 23-year-old transgender woman who is accused of opening fire through the stained-glass windows of the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning during a celebratory back-to-school mass packed with children. Two children were killed, and 17 others injured, when the shooter sprayed bullets as the young congregants scrambled down in the pews to escape the deadly fire. Before beginning her attack Westman had reportedly used wooden planks to barricade the church's two side doors shut.

Minneapolis school shooter feared vaping had caused terminal illness that 'destroyed' their body

Daily Mail, 28/08/2025

Minnesota school shooter Robin Westman feared that vaping use had caused terminal cancer before they decided to open fire at a Catholic School, killing two children. The 23-year-old transgender gunman posted a suicide note to a now-deleted YouTube page just hours before shooting through stained glass windows at children sitting on the pews inside Annunciation Catholic School's church on Wednesday morning. Two children aged eight and 10 were killed in the attack and at least 17 other victims - 14 children and three adults - were injured before Westman died by suicide, authorities have said. The shooter explained in a suicide note how they were struggling for years with depression and suicidal thoughts - which apparently grew worse with the belief they had terminal cancer.

Also: CNN

Pro-Palestinian protesters say they were attacked by Egyptian officials. Now they’re facing charges

Associated Press, 28/08/2025

Yasin El Sammak, 22, and his 15-year-old brother arrived outside an Egyptian diplomatic building in Manhattan last week, planning to film a small protest urging the country to do more for residents of Gaza suffering from starvation. Instead, video provided by another activist shows Egyptian government personnel dragging the pair off the street and into the building, where they were repeatedly pummelled, thrown to the ground and whipped with a metal chain. New York City police then arrested El Sammak and his younger brother on felony assault and strangulation charges, even as witness testimony and footage from the scene appeared to contradict a narrative given to police by Egyptian officials.

Two Microsoft workers fired after occupying president’s office in anti-Israel protest

(£) Reuters, 28/08/2025

Two Microsoft employees were fired on Wednesday after taking part in a sit-in at the office of the company’s president to protest the firm’s ties to Israel as it wages war in Gaza. A Microsoft spokesperson said the workers were terminated following “serious breaches of company policies and our code of conduct” stemming from “the break-in at the executive offices.” Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli received voicemails informing them that they were fired, the protest group No Azure for Apartheid said in a statement. They were among seven protesters who were arrested on Tuesday after occupying the office of company President Brad Smith. The other five were former Microsoft workers and people outside the company.

Manhunt for Australian conspiracy theorist as ‘murdered' policemen named

(£) Daily Telegraph, 27/08/2025

Two Australian policemen allegedly “murdered in cold blood” by an anti-government conspiracy theorist have been named, as a manhunt continues. The victims were identified on Wednesday as Neal Thompson, a detective from rural Wangaratta, and Vladim De Waart who worked with the Melbourne public order response team. Mike Bush, the Victorian police commissioner, said their deaths “struck at the heart” of Victoria Police. Dezi Bird Freeman, a self-described “sovereign citizen” accused of the men's murders, evaded capture for a second day on Wednesday.

Also: (£) Reuters

UN Security Council to vote on ending peacekeeping mission in Lebanon on Dec. 31, 2026

Associated Press, 28/08/2025

The Security Council scheduled a vote Thursday on a resolution that would end the more than four-decade operation of the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon on Dec. 31, 2026. Two council diplomats said late Wednesday that the United States, which had been demanding that the force known as UNIFIL be terminated in a year, did not object to a French draft resolution with that end date in 16 months. That signalled the resolution would be approved, but it was not clear whether the United States would vote in favour or abstain, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations have been private. UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion.

Lawyers push for release of Moroccan woman on trial in blasphemy case

Associated Press, 27/08/2025

Attorneys for a Moroccan feminist on trial for blasphemy on Wednesday urged for her release, saying it was vital to safeguard her declining health. At a court hearing in Rabat, attorneys for Ibtissam Lachgar asked the presiding judge to grant her provisional freedom while the court considers whether a photo she posted of herself wearing a shirt reading “Allah is Lesbian” violated part of Morocco’s criminal code outlawing offending the monarchy or Islam. Naima Elguellaf, her attorney, said Lachgar was battling cancer and struggling while cut off from needed care. “She has a surgery planned in September, where doctors will decide whether she will still live with a prosthetic arm or have her arm amputated,” Elguellaf told reporters after court adjourned.

This summary is not a statement of Home Office policy or opinion. Note that these outlets have a local or regional UK focus and/or a daily reach of less than 100k, and a minority may be funded by foreign governments.

Why opposing Israel's genocide got me arrested for terrorism

Middle East Eye, 27/08/2025

Moazzam Begg writes, "Britain once endured Zionist terrorism but now shields Israel’s genocide by prosecuting peaceful protesters, revealing its hollow anti-terror laws."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Mold protest organiser refutes 'Nazi salutes' claim

Leader Live, 27/08/2025

The organiser of a protest held in Mold over the weekend has refuted claims made by a councillor that people in attendance were doing "Nazi salutes".

Counter terror police investigate after report of assault at HMP Full Sutton

Hull Live, 27/08/2025

Counter-terrorism police are investigating following a report of a person being attacked at HMP Full Sutton.

Ahmed Abu Aziz was more than a colleague. He was a brother and friend

Middle East Eye, 27/08/2025

Lubna Masarwa writes, A few months ago, I asked him to send me a quote about a journalist colleague who was killed. He asked me: 'What will you write about me when I die?'

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Lebanon: US envoy faces backlash after telling journalists to ‘act civilised’

Middle East Eye, 27/08/2025

A senior US diplomat sparked outrage on Tuesday after telling journalists in Lebanon to “act civilised” during a press conference at the presidential palace.

Families of Egypt's political prisoners haven't seen them in over a decade

Middle East Eye, 27/08/2025

Imprisoned Egyptian political dissidents are enduring particularly brutal detention conditions at a notorious facility, leaving families fearing for their lives amid a spike in suicide attempts and deaths of detainees from medical negligence in recent months.

Netanyahu accused of hypocrisy for recognising Armenian genocide in a podcast

Middle East Eye, 27/08/2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recognition of the Armenian genocide on Tuesday during an interview with right-wing media personality Patrick Bet David has led people online to accuse Netanyahu of being “hypocritical”.

This summary is not a statement of Home Office policy or opinion. Note that some of these outlets have lower reach with UK audiences and/or may be state/government funded. Please also note that foreign media outlets may not have equivalent editorial standards to UK-based outlets.

Journalists rally in London in solidarity with colleagues in Gaza

AFP, 27/08/2025

Journalists in the UK rallied Wednesday in central London in solidarity with colleagues in Gaza, in the wake of two Israeli military strikes earlier this week that killed five journalists.

Pretend patriots are flagging up division over diversity

National Newspaper, 27/08/2025

Gavin Esler writes, "Flags have been part of human culture for centuries, for one simple reason. Flying the flag of a nation, army or a group of people signals to everyone who you are – and who you are not.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Israeli troops raid bombed Syrian site: State media

Al Arabiya, 28/08/2025

Israeli ground troops raided a Syrian site it had already bombed on Wednesday and a day prior, Syrian state media reported.

Also: Al Jazeera

Iran says killed 13 militants in restive southeast: State TV

AFP, 27/08/2025

Iranian forces have killed 13 militants in a raid in the restive south-east, state media reported Wednesday, adding they were members of a group suspected of a recent deadly attack on police.

Cop martyred, another two injured in attacks

The News International, 28/08/2025

Another policeman was targeted and killed in the Bin Qasim area on Wednesday evening, with a senior counterterrorism police officer warning that a new faction of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has become active in Karachi and is involved in recent target killings of policemen.

Gaza war to be settled by end of year, says US envoy Witkoff

National Newspaper, 27/08/2025

The US expects the Gaza war to be settled by the end of this year, special envoy Steve Witkoff has said, ahead of a meeting on the conflict to be led by President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday.

Israeli forces seize nearly $447,000 during West Bank raid

Al Arabiya, 27/08/2025

Israeli police said Wednesday that security forces seized roughly 1.5 million shekels ($447,000) of what they said were “terror funds” during a raid in the occupied West Bank a day earlier.

Israeli raid in Ramallah is part of attempt to destabilise West Bank, Palestinians say

National Newspaper, 27/08/2025

Palestinian officials and financial leaders have strongly criticised Israel's military raid on a currency exchange in central Ramallah on Tuesday, saying the large-scale incursion is part of a wider, politically motivated push to destabilise the occupied West Bank by targeting the Palestinian economy.

US criticises UN-backed famine report on Gaza

National Newspaper, 27/08/2025

The US envoy to the UN, Dorothy Shea, on Wednesday criticised a UN-backed report that found famine is occurring in the area around Gaza city, saying it “fails the test” of impartiality and raises “significant questions” about its findings.

Authorities investigating motive after deadly Minneapolis school church shooting

AFP, 28/08/2025

Investigators were seeking to find out why a heavily-armed shooter opened fire on school children at a church service in Minneapolis on Wednesday, killing two pupils and wounding 17 people in the latest violent tragedy to jolt the United States.

Trump threatens charges for George Soros, frequent target of far-right ire

Al Jazeera, 27/08/2025

United States President Donald Trump has advocated for George Soros, a billionaire financier and philanthropist who has become a central figure in right-wing conspiracies, to face criminal charges.

Al Jazeera (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• Half of US voters believe Israel committing genocide in Gaza, poll says; US envoy cuts Lebanon trip short amid protests, outrage over press comments; Israel launches new operations in Syria after strike kills soldiers; How rare earth shortages are stalling India’s burgeoning EV sector

Al Arabiya (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• At least four dead in mass night-time Russian attack on Ukraine’s Kyiv; Israeli troops raid bombed Syrian site: State media; Trump holds Gaza policy meeting with Blair and Kushner, White House official says; All UN Security Council members, except US, say famine in Gaza is ‘man-made crisis’; Europeans likely to initiate UN sanctions process on Iran soon, sources say

Geo TV (Pakistan, Urdu and English)

• Live updates on Pakistan floods; IWT in abeyance: Has India been deliberately tardy in issuing flood warnings?; Aug 29–Sept 2: Heavy downpours loom as new monsoon front advances across Pakistan; Updates: Israel's war on Gaza continues