Best photos of May 3: Long Distance Heritage Race in Dubai to 80th VE Day anniversary in London
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
Global events: Much of the UK's economic woes were blamed on 'increased global uncertainty', which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump's tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise '£6.5bn per year' for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world's second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Ministry of InteriorMinistry of DefenceGeneral Intelligence DirectorateAir Force Intelligence AgencyPolitical Security DirectorateSyrian National Security BureauMilitary Intelligence DirectorateArmy Supply BureauGeneral Organisation of Radio and TVAl Watan newspaperCham Press TV
Sama TV
FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
Updated: May 03, 2025, 11:08 AM
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
Rights group files legal challenge to remove Hamas from UK terror list
A British rights group has filed a second legal application calling on the UK government to remove the Palestinian militant group Hamas from a list of proscribed terrorist organisations. Cage International said on Tuesday it had instructed lawyers to appeal the decision in 2021 by former UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to proscribe Hamas in its entirety. The proscription of Hamas predates its current war with Israel in Gaza, where the group has been the de facto authority since winning Palestinian elections in 2006, and the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel in October 2023. Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades, was proscribed by the UK more than two decades ago. But Patel decided to extend the ban to the whole organisation, arguing there was no longer a distinction between the political and military wings of the group. Proscribing a group as a terrorist organisation automatically creates several criminal offences for anyone who is a group member, who wears or publishes the group's symbols, expresses or invites support for the group, or organises a meeting to support it. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Section 4 of the UK Terrorism Act allows any person affected by an organisation's proscription to apply to the home secretary for its de-proscription. Cage, an advocacy group that campaigns on behalf of people affected by counterterrorism policies, is using this clause to lodge its application over concerns its clients, who are mostly British Muslims, have been disproportionately targeted in an "unjust, politically charged manner" as a consequence of Hamas being added to the list of banned organisations. As part of its submission, Cage included 26 case studies involving clients who, it says, have been adversely impacted by the proscription of Hamas. These cases span a wide range of public and professional settings and highlight what the group describes as the overreach of counterterror legislation. The case studies include university students and a lecturer investigated and sanctioned for re-sharing publicly available media headlines related to Hamas. According to Cage, some of its clients also faced the threat of expulsion, visa revocation, or extended disciplinary procedures for allegedly supporting Hamas. The Home Office did not respond to Middle East Eye's request for comment at the time of writing. Muhammad Rabbani, managing director of Cage, said the de-proscription of Hamas is "about reckoning with a political and diplomatic reality in addition to remedying the discriminatory application and abuse of power". "Our case studies show a consistent pattern of arrests and harassment with unsuccessful prosecution, that left victims with lasting damage," Rabbani told Middle East Eye. "Ultimately, the continued proscription of Hamas is violating long-established freedoms enshrined in British law." Why I support the UK taking a more nuanced position on Hamas Read More » Cage's application comes months after Hamas launched its own appeal against its proscription in the UK. Legal papers seen by MEE revealed that Mousa Abu Marzouk, the head of Hamas' foreign relations office, had instructed lawyers to take up the case. Fahad Ansari, the director of Riverway Law, which is leading the challenge; Daniel Grutters, a barrister at One Pump Court Chambers; and Franck Magennis, a barrister at Garden Court Chambers, submitted a 106-page application to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper claiming the decision "pursued explicitly political objectives by a politically compromised Secretary of State". The lawyers involved in the case stressed that Hamas did not pay them or the experts and lawyers who provided evidence for its submission, as it is illegal to receive funds from a group designated as a terrorist organisation. The home secretary has 90 days to respond to Hamas and Cage's applications. As part of her powers as home secretary, Cooper also has the discretion to add or remove any group engaged in armed conflict from the list of proscribed organisations. If the home secretary rejects the application, Hamas could appeal to the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission, where the decision can be challenged on judicial review grounds.
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
'An honourable course': UK civil servants told to consider quitting if upset at Gaza policy
Civil servants at the British Foreign Office have expressed anger after being told to consider resigning if they disagree with government policy on Gaza. More than 300 Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) staff sent a letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy last month raising concerns about potential UK "complicity" in Israel's assault on the enclave. According to the BBC, senior officials responded saying that the department had a system for staff concerns and had "rigorously applied international law" with regards to Gaza. "[If] your disagreement with any aspect of government policy or action is profound your ultimate recourse is to resign from the Civil Service," said the reply to the staff letter, sent from Sir Oliver Robbins and Nick Dyer, the two most senior civil servants in the Foreign Office. "This is an honourable course." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters One of the officials who signed the original letter said there had been "outrage" among staff at the response. "[There is] frustration and a deep sense of disappointment that the space for challenge is being further shut down," said the official, speaking to the BBC on condition of anonymity. Another former official who saw the correspondence described the response as "obfuscation". Foreign office won't condemn Israeli strike on UK charity workers Read More » "This… simply provides the government with supposed 'plausible deniability' for enabling breaches of international law," they said. Last year, a former aid civil servant told Declassified UK that he had been told that as many as 300 staff in the Foreign Office had formally raised concerns over Britain's complicity and support for Israel's war. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents British civil servants, also requested a meeting with the Cabinet Office over the war in Gaza and its implication for government employees. The new letter, released on 16 May, referenced last year's complaints. "In July 2024, staff expressed concern about Israel's violations of international humanitarian law and potential UK government complicity," it said. "In the intervening period, the reality of Israel's disregard for international law has become more stark." It said the UK government's continued weapons exports to Israel had contributed to "the erosion of global norms", also a citing a visit to London in April by Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, "despite concerns about violations of international law".
Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
British MPs react to 'shocking' MEE report of Cameron threatening ICC over Israel probe
Several British parliamentarians have responded to Middle East Eye's revelation on Monday that the former UK foreign secretary privately threatened to defund and withdraw from the International Criminal Court if it issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. David Cameron, then foreign secretary in Rishi Sunak's Conservative government, made the threat in April 2024 in a heated phone call with Karim Khan, the British chief prosecutor of the court. Asked about Cameron's threat, Emily Thornberry, a senior Labour MP and the chair of parliament's foreign affairs select committee, told MEE: "I've always believed that when making difficult decisions, international law must always be our guide." Labour MP Naz Shah called the news "shocking" and said she would be "raising this matter directly" with the Foreign Office. "No rules-based system can function with legitimacy if it does not apply the rules equally," she told MEE. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Cameron told Khan over the phone on 23 April 2024 that the UK would 'defund the court and withdraw from the Rome Statute' if the ICC issued warrants for Israeli leaders. Khan replied that 'if this were to occur then we would have to accept that the rules-based system would be dead'. Exclusive: David Cameron threatened to withdraw UK from ICC over Israel war crimes probe Read More » This week MEE revealed details of the call based on information from a number of sources – including former staff in Khan's office familiar with the conversation and who have seen the minutes of the meeting. Cameron, a former British prime minister who was appointed foreign secretary by Sunak in November 2023, told Khan that applying for warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant would be 'like dropping a hydrogen bomb'. He said Khan was 'on the brink of making a huge mistake" and that "the world is not ready for this". According to MEE's sources, the foreign secretary spoke aggressively and repeatedly shouted over Khan, who had to ask to be able to complete his points. Approached by MEE for a response to the exchange with Cameron, Karim Khan said: 'I have no comment to make at this time.' The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office declined to comment. Cameron, who currently sits as a Conservative peer in the House of Lords, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 'Cameron must be investigated' Labour MP Kim Johnson told MEE: "This revelation is a damning indictment of the previous Conservative government's disregard for international law." She added: "This Labour government must urgently and unequivocally distance itself from this position. "It must reaffirm its commitment to the ICC and uphold its rulings, including the arrest warrants that the previous foreign secretary sought to undermine." Labour MP Zarah Sultana said on social media platform X that "David Cameron — and every UK minister complicit in arming and enabling Israel's genocide in Gaza - must be investigated for war crimes." David Cameron — and every UK minister complicit in arming and enabling Israel's genocide in Gaza — must be investigated for war crimes. — Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) June 9, 2025 Less than a month after the call with Cameron, Khan announced that he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his then-defence minister, Yoav Gallant, as well as for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif. Independent MP Ayoub Khan called for a parliamentary investigation into MEE's report. He said that "political influence must never be allowed to shape judicial outcomes. The parliamentary Code of Conduct is unequivocal on this point, and rightly so." He added: "If these allegations are accurate, they represent not just a breach of that code but a breach of public trust and the moral authority of Britain's commitment to international law. "I urge the relevant parliamentary standards committees to investigate this matter with the seriousness it deserves." Former Labour leader and independent MP Jeremy Corbyn told MEE that "not one of the former ministers involved in the last Conservative government has so far supported our call for an inquiry into the UK's complicity in the Gaza genocide. "This shocking revelation could explain why." Zack Polanski, the deputy leader of the Green Party who is standing to be the next leader, added: "It's been clear for all to see that both the former and current government have stood with the oppressors, not the marginalised. "That's why I support Jeremy Corbyn's call for an independent inquiry." Concerning new allegations, which suggest the last foreign secretary tried to shield Israeli leaders from facing justice for war crimes. We need an independent inquiry into the UK's role in the Gaza — Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP (@BellRibeiroAddy) June 9, 2025 Independent MP Iqbal Mohamed said: "If Lord Cameron did in fact issue such a threat, it would represent a grave lapse in judgement and a betrayal of our commitment to justice and international law. "These allegations deserve urgent and transparent scrutiny in Parliament." Independent MP Shockat Adam added that "it is outrageous for ministers to interfere in the workings of the international justice system - particularly as the UK is one of its main architects." On 10 June 2024 the Conservative government filed an objection to Khan's application to the ICC, arguing that the court did not have jurisdiction over Israeli nationals – a position the Israeli government has held for years. The next month, Keir Starmer's newly elected Labour government announced it would drop the objection. The ICC issued the warrants that November. Sanctioned by the US Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said on social media platform X that the report about Cameron's threat was "concerning" and backed calls for an "independent inquiry into the UK's role in the Gaza genocide". Scottish National Party MP Chris Law said on X: "Shocking that the UK Tory govt tried to undermine the International Criminal Court for investigating those responsible for war crimes in Gaza. "However not seeing much better under Labour." Shocking that the UK Tory govt tried to undermine the International Criminal Court for investigating those responsible for war crimes in Gaza. However not seeing much better under Labour #GazaGenocide — Chris Law MP (@ChrisLawSNP) June 9, 2025 As of February, Khan has been sanctioned by US President Donald Trump because of the arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and Gallant. The prosecutor has had his US visa revoked and his wife and children have been banned from travelling to the US. His bank accounts have been frozen in the UK. The warrants for Israeli leaders are currently in the hands of two deputy prosecutors. Last Thursday, the US imposed further sanctions on four ICC judges whom it accused of being involved in 'illegitimate actions targeting the United States and Israel'. Neither the US nor Israel are parties to the Rome Statute and have long rejected the authority of the court. In a statement, the ICC said it deplored the sanctions against Khan and the four judges. It said it stood fully behind its personnel and would continue its work undeterred. The court recently ordered that any further warrants issued in relation to its Palestine investigation cannot be publicised.
