‘Appalled’ MPs condemn imminent visit of Israeli president to UK

Ministers are being urged not to meet Israel’s president who is understood to be visiting the UK next week.

The visit of Isaac Herzog has sparked outrage among some Labour MPs at a time when the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire and Israel presses ahead with a major military offensive.

Mr Herzog’s trip to the UK is expected next Wednesday and Thursday, according to the Guardian newspaper.

It comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the “terrible situation” in the Strip this week, and before the UK intends to recognise a Palestinian state later this month.

Labour MPs have demanded the government does not meet the Israeli leader.

Sarah Champion, Labour chairwoman of the International Development Select Committee, wrote on X: “Israel’s president to visit London next Thursday for expected talks with ministers. I really hope this is inaccurate.

“The UK’s recognised the ‘real risk’ of genocide perpetuated by Israel, so unless this meeting is about peace – what message are we sending.”

Labour former shadow chancellor John McDonnell told the Guardian: “I am appalled at the decision to allow this representative of a government that is systematically killing Palestinian children on a daily basis to visit our country.

“The Prime Minister is proving to be absolutely tone dead to the desperate plight of the Palestinian people and the overwhelming feelings of revulsion of the British people at the brutality of the government Herzog represents.”

Former Labour MP Zarah Sultana, who now sits as an Independent, posted on X: “Beyond disgusted that Israeli President Herzog is set to visit London next week to meet Labour ministers.

“The Labour Party is living up to its reputation as The Genocide Party.

“Herzog should be arrested for war crimes the moment he sets foot on UK soil.”

The Palestinian death toll has surpassed 64,000 since the war triggered by Hamas’s deadly 2023 attack on Israel began nearly two years ago, local health officials said on Thursday.

Downing Street declined to comment when asked about the Israeli president’s trip, saying it would set out any visits “in the normal way”.

Were Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to travel to the UK, domestic courts could decide to enforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Mr Herzog’s role as Israeli president is largely ceremonial.

He is from a different political party to Mr Netanyahu and has not always seen eye-to-eye with the premier, although he has largely supported war efforts in Gaza.

Trump holds call with Zelensky after sending fresh warning to Putin over peace talks

US President Donald Trump has urged European leaders to cease buying Russian oil, which he argued is helping Moscow fund its war in Ukraine.

He also emphasised that Europe “must place economic pressure on China for funding Russia’s war efforts”, a White House official said.

Trump made the remarks during a call with the so-called “Coalition of the Willing”, a group of 30 European nations led by French President Emmanuel Macron, which gathered in Paris on Thursday to discuss further security guarantees for Ukraine.

Following the meeting, which was attended by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, Macron said that 26 countries – including the UK and France – have pledged to deploy troops in Ukraine as a “reassurance force” in the event of a ceasefire.

Despite Zelensky expressing a willingness to talk, a ceasefire agreement is not currently on the table, and it remains unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will agree to a cessation of hostilities. He said on Wednesday that in the absence of a deal, Russia will have to achieve its goals “by military means”.

Man whose arrest sparked asylum protests guilty of sexual assault

An asylum seeker hotel resident has been convicted of sexually assaulting a woman and a 14-year-old girl just days after arriving in the United Kingdom on a small boat.

Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu’s behaviour in July sparked protests and counter-protests in Epping, Essex.

Further demonstrations were held outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country.

During his three-day trial at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court, evidence was put forward that he told two teenagers he wanted to “have a baby with each of them” and attempted to kiss them.

He then went on to put his hand on one of the girls’ thighs and stroke her hair, the court heard.

Kebatu was also found to have sexually assaulted a woman by trying to kiss her, putting his hand on her leg, and telling her she was pretty.

Kebatu, who was a “teacher of sports” in his home country, denied all charges against him. He told the court he is “not a wild animal”.

District judge Christopher Williams took just 30 minutes to return his guilty verdicts and outline his reasoning on Thursday.

The defendant gave no visible reaction as Mr Williams told him he was guilty of two counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and one count of harassment without violence.

Kebatu is due to be sentenced at a later date.

Kebatu’s trial was told he was offered pizza by the 14-year-old victim shortly before he tried to kiss her on 7 July.

The court heard Kebatu had made inappropriate comments to the girl, such as “come back to Africa, you would be a good wife”, and “do you want to come to the Bell Hotel to have babies then we could go to Kenya with each other”.

The girl told police she “froze” as the defendant sexually assaulted her and had told Kebatu, “No, I’m 14” when he spotted her again in Epping the following day.

The court heard his response to the teenager was: “No, no, it doesn’t matter, you could come back to the Bell Hotel with me.”

An adult member of the public was also sexually assaulted by Kebatu on 8 July during an incident in which he touched her leg and tried to kiss her when she offered to help him with his CV.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she felt “shocked” and “uncomfortable” at his behaviour.

The adult victim told the court she confronted Kebatu when she saw him speaking to a “young schoolgirl”.

She said the defendant ran away from the initial confrontation, but she caught up with him near the Bell Hotel while on a 999 call with police.

The woman told the trial: “It was a lot of begging, pleading and apologising, and a lot of ‘I’m sorry, I’m going to go, it was a mistake’ – along those lines.”

Footage of Kebatu’s arrest showed him appear to become tearful after he was handcuffed by an officer, with the defendant eventually getting on his knees on the pavement next to a police car.

Judge Williams told Kebatu to expect a prison sentence.

“You can expect an immediate custodial sentence to be imposed on September 23rd, it’s just a question of how long any sentence is going to be,” he said.

He asked that a report be prepared about Kebatu before sentencing, noting there was “so little known” about him.

Mobile phone ‘hidden in Commons’ as part of ‘sex noise’ PMQs prank

A phone was planted in the House of Commons as part of an attempted prank which would have seen “sex noises” broadcast during Prime Minister’s Questions, it has emerged.

Parliamentary authorities have launched an inquiry into how a mobile was hidden near where Sir Keir Starmer was due to stand up and face Kemi Badenoch on the front benches on Wednesday.

It was found during a routine sweep before PMQs and was reportedly due to play a sexually explicit audio recording.

There is no clear footage of the phone being planted, however, the incident is being treated as a major breach of parliamentary security. A source told The Times: “It looks like it was just a prank, but it could have been much worse.”

And they raised concerns that it could have been an explosive, adding that “we don’t know how it got here”.

A UK Parliament spokesperson told The Independent: “The safety and security of all those who work and visit in Parliament is our top priority, however, we cannot comment on our security processes or measures.”

The Commons chamber is open to the public on most mornings, raising questions about who could have planted the device.

Multiple live events have been disrupted by “sex noise” pranks in recent years, though the victims have mostly been sport-related.

The Euro 2024 draw was hit as pornography sounds were loudly played as teams were finding out their groups for last summer’s football tournament.

Social media personality Daniel Jarvis, known as ‘Jarvo69’, promptly claimed responsibility for the prank, declaring on a live stream: “We done it, we got in there. Sex noises at the Euro 2024 draw. Love you guys.”

Mr Jarvis previously claimed credit for a similar incident that occurred during the BBC’s live pre-match coverage of the FA Cup third-round replay between Wolves and Liverpool back in January.

That incident caused consternation and hilarity among the presenters as host Gary Lineker and pundits Danny Murphy and Paul Ince had to deal with a loud recording of sex noises beginning to blare out of the studio.

Greg James also faced a similar prank last year at the hands of a caller into BBC Radio 1’s Breakfast with Greg James.

The mobile phone in the Commons marks one of the biggest breaches of parliamentary security since a group of semi-naked climate change protesters disrupted a Brexit debate in the Commons in 2019, glueing their hands to the public gallery’s glass screens.

The protesters spent almost 20 minutes with their buttocks pointing into the chamber.

Sabalenka levels against Pegula in US Open semi-finals

Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula meet again at the US Open in a rematch of last year’s final, before Naomi Osaka looks to continue her comeback run against Amanda Anisimova.

Sabalenka defeated Pegula in straight-sets 7-5 7-5 to win her first US Open title last September, but the World No 1 has not won a major title since and has lost to American opponents in her last three grand slam exits.

Pegula is yet to drop a set at this year’s US Open and is through to a semi-final of a grand slam for just the second time. Sabalenka advanced to the semi-finals after Marketa Vondrousova withdrew injured before their quarter-final.

Later tonight, four-time major champion Osaka bids to reach her first grand slam final in almost five years against home favourite Amanda Anisimova who claimed redemption for her 6-0 6-0 Wimbledon final defeat by beating Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals.

Follow the latest scores, updates, analysis and reaction from the US Open below:

The funniest, strangest and best things from this year’s Fringe

The Edinburgh Fringe is a place where British eccentrics take centre stage and the country’s weirdest most wonderful talents get to explore the craziest outreaches of their creativity, whether it’s staging immersive theatre in a bathroom, or performing a show on a treadmill.

For all the silliness, though, there’s a seriousness to the whole thing: the Fringe is the breeding ground for Britain’s comedy trendsetters: The Mighty Boosh and The League of Gentlemen first found audiences here and the international phenomena that are Fleabag and Baby Reindeer got their first outings on the stages of the Fringe.

This year, as ever, the festival’s packed schedule sees Edinburgh veterans rubbing shoulders with dozens of emerging voices on the hunt for an audience, many of them willing to perform anywhere from the backroom of a pub to a book shop, or even a bathtub.

The summer of 2025 is looking like it’s going to be a particularly strong year for established heroes of the Fringe. Winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award back in 2009, Tim Key returns to the Fringe with a new show Loganberry, likely to be informed, in part, by his recent experiences starring in the film The Ballad of Wallis Island and appearing as pigeon in Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17. Expect deadpan poems and much hilarity.

Following the success of her smash hit Channel 4 show The Change, about a menopausal woman rediscovering herself in the Forest of Dean, Fringe-favourite and 2013 winner Bridget Christie returns to Edinburgh with a work in progress at the Monkey Barrel. Also showing a work in progress is Ahir Shah, who has pedigree when it comes to licking a show into shape at the festival – when he did so in 2023, he won the main prize. Television presenter and podcaster Nish Kumar is back on his old stomping ground too with a new show Nish, Don’t Kill My Vibe at the Gordon Aikman Theatre.

For all the tried-and-tested performers who pretty might guarantee laughs, one of the real joys of the Fringe is to be found in taking a risk on an up-and-coming comedian in the hope you stumble across a star of the future.

In some cases that might mean checking out a Fringe first-timer like Toussaint Douglass, who makes his Edinburgh debut with his hotly-tipped show Accessible Pigeon Material, which promises to be joyfully absurd and very pigeon-heavy in terms of content. Or popping in to see if promising young talents can pull off that tricky second album: having scooped a Best Newcomer gong at last year’s Fringe, Joe Kent-Walters is reprising his gloriously demonic working men’s club owner, Frankie Monroe, at the Monkey Barrel Comedy venue (Cabaret Voltaire).

Also keen to build on a promising start will be Leila Navabi, a television writer from South Wales, whose 2023 musical comedy show Composition included a song about having her ears pierced in Claire’s Accessories. This year, she’s back with Relay, which blends jokes and songs to explore her attempts to make a baby with her girlfriend and a sperm donor.

Whether they’re promising young tyros or established names, for many comedians the creative freedom and outright silliness of the Fringe has them coming back time and time again. Take, for example, Ivo Graham whose show this year is called Orange Crush and is described by the man himself as “a show about hats, haters and hometown heroes, from a man who promised everyone he loved that he wouldn’t do Edinburgh in 2025, but then came back anyway, because he simply had to do this show.”

If you are planning to join Ivo in Edinburgh to soak up the comedy chaos in person, don’t forget provisions. The average Fringe day involves walking 15,000 steps, climbing 43 hills and sitting through at least one show in a sauna-like attic with no ventilation. So, pack accordingly: a bottle of water, a sturdy fan and a packet of Maynards Bassetts Wine Gums or Jelly Babies to keep your blood sugar and national pride intact. Nothing says “I’m here for the arts” quite like chuckling through a late-night experimental mime while chewing on a Jelly Baby’s head.

Now you’re in the know, don’t forget to set the juice loose with Maynards Bassetts – grab a bag today!

Eating a late breakfast? Warning it could be linked to dying sooner

It’s the most important meal of the day – but the time you eat breakfast also matters.

That’s according to researchers who have found older adults who eat breakfast later in the day die sooner.

“The timing of breakfast could serve as an easy-to-monitor marker of their overall health status,” Dr Hassan Dashti, a nutrition scientist and circadian biologist at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital, who led the study said.

He suggested shifts in mealtimes could be used as an “early warning sign” to look into underlying physical and mental health issues.

Dr Dashti looked at data from nearly 3,000 adults in the UK, with an average age of 64 from the University of Manchester Longitudinal Study of Cognition in Normal Healthy Old Age.

Participants reported the times they ate meals and completed health and lifestyle surveys across multiple years.

Researchers found that as people aged, they tended to eat breakfast and dinner later, and those with more health problems or a genetic tendency to stay up late also tended to eat later.

A later breakfast was associated with physical and psychological illnesses, including fatigue, oral health problems, depression and anxiety.

It was also linked to a slightly higher chance of a person dying during a ten-year follow-up period.

After adjusting for other factors such as age, sex, education levels and lifestyle, each hour breakfast was delayed was associated with a 10 per cent higher risk of death.

However, study authors stress there is no direct cause and effect to eating breakfast later, only an association.

That means eating breakfast later may not shorten a person’s life, but it could indicate underlying health problems, lifestyle patterns or biological differences that influence health – information which could be useful to a GP.

“Up until now, we had a limited insight into how the timing of meals evolves later in life and how this shift relates to overall health and longevity,” said Dashti.

“Our findings help fill that gap by showing that later meal timing, especially delayed breakfast, is tied to both health challenges and increased mortality risk in older adults. These results add new meaning to the saying that ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day,’ especially for older individuals.”

Study authors suggest future trials are needed to explore the potential of meal timing as a strategy to promote longevity in aging populations.

UK to bask in 22C sunshine after wettest week for seven months

Don’t pack away the garden barbecue just yet, weather experts are predicting a return to sunshine this weekend.

After the wettest week for seven months, the Met Office forecasts the UK will bask in temperatures reaching up to 22C, in London on Saturday.

The warm weather is forecast to continue into Sunday with highs of 22C in Norwich and 20C in Edinburgh.

However, showers are also expected on Sunday across the UK.

“Warm sunshine on Saturday, though winds freshening and a few showers developing in the west,” a spokesperson said. “Turning more unsettled for Sunday and Monday. Rain giving way to sunshine and blustery showers.”

It comes after a yellow weather warning for storms was put in place for much of northern England, the Midlands and parts of Wales on Thursday.

The warning, which was in place until 5pm, predicted further rain and flooding.

England experienced its wettest week for seven months, according to the Environment Agency.

There have been “notable” amounts of rainfall, particularly in the North West, South East and South West, all of which received more than 35mm of rain between August 27 and September 2.

Rivers levels have increased at nearly all the sites monitored by the agency, although just over a third were classed as being below normal for this time of year.

Despite the recent showers, total rainfall in England in August was only 42 per cent of the long-term average.

Long spells of dry and hot weather over the past few months have taken their toll on the environment and agriculture, leading to hosepipe bans, drought orders, poor harvests and low water levels in reservoirs.

Both spring and summer 2025 were the UK’s warmest on record, while spring was the second driest for England since Met Office rainfall data began in 1836.

Yorkshire Water still has a hosepipe ban in place despite some recent rain, while Southern Water still has a ban in place for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Dave Kaye, Yorkshire Water’s director of water services, said: “Yorkshire is in drought following an extremely dry spring and the hottest summer on record.

“While the rain, which was heavy in some areas but short-lived, has been welcome, the majority has been taken up by the extremely dry ground, as well as plants and trees.”