‘It makes me feel more British’: Muslims say religious diversity in the UK part of identity

Eid al-Fitr celebrated amid political furore over claims public Ramadan prayers an ‘act of domination’

On Friday morning, little space remained in Baitul Futuh mosque as thousands of people poured in to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The south London mosque, one of the largest in Europe, offered a glimpse of the Eid al-Fitr festivities being celebrated by millions of Muslims across the UK. This year, however, a political furore around one of the most important holidays in the Islamic calendar has divided UK party leaders, drawn warnings of bigotry and left members of the community feeling disturbed and disappointed.

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Is it time for the UK to acknowledge the ‘rhetoric to reality gap’ on its military power?

Forces have been stripped back since the cold war but political stasis is dangerous in the face of growing global threats

Middle East crisis – live updates

It will have been more than three weeks since the US and Israel first attacked Iran when the first British warship finally arrives off the coast of Cyprus, a belated defensive deployment that has highlighted the lack of military capacity available to the UK.

Nominally, HMS Dragon was one of three destroyers available out of six. In reality the warship has had to be hauled out of dry dock, prepared and then, after launch, tested for several days in the Channel. Its arrival date is still unconfirmed.

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Canadian mother and daughter ‘traumatized’ by ICE detainment, husband says

Tania Warner and Ayla, her seven-year-old with autism, sent to notorious Texas detention center and told to ‘self-deport’

A Canadian woman and her seven-year-old daughter with autism who have been held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for nearly a week have been transferred to a notorious detention center and asked to “self-deport”, according to her husband, who said the pair had been “traumatized” by the experience.

Tania Warner and her daughter Ayla Luca, originally from British Columbia, moved to the US five years ago, when Warner married Edward Warner, a US citizen.

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Hamas Considering Disarmament Plan From Trump’s Board of Peace, Officials Say – The New York Times

  1. Hamas Considering Disarmament Plan From Trump’s Board of Peace, Officials Say  The New York Times
  2. Trump's mediators offer Hamas formal proposal to give up its weapons in Gaza  NPR
  3. Hamas given proposal for gradual weapon handover in months-long process — officials  The Times of Israel
  4. Trump's Board of Peace presents Hamas with new written disarmament proposal  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Trump's peace board hands Hamas disarmament proposal, sources say  Reuters
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Mexico’s monarch butterfly population jumps 64%, offering hope for at-risk species

The insects covered its largest area since 2018, despite threats from habitat loss, climate crisis and pesticides

The population of monarch butterflies in Mexico increased 64% this winter, compared with the same period in 2025, offering a glimmer of hope for an insect considered at risk of extinction.

The figures, released this week by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Mexico, showed that the area occupied by monarchs expanded to 2.93 hectares (7.24 acres) of forest from 1.79 hectares (4.42 acres) the previous winter, the largest coverage since 2018.

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Exclusive: Qatar’s energy boss says he had warned of dangers of provoking Iran – Reuters

  1. Exclusive: Qatar's energy boss says he had warned of dangers of provoking Iran  Reuters
  2. Exclusive: Iran attacks wipe out 17% of Qatar’s LNG capacity for up to five years, QatarEnergy CEO says  Reuters
  3. Why the US wants to protect Iran’s oil and gas  Vox
  4. Trump’s Complaint About Israeli Strike on Gas Field Exposes Divergent Strategies  The New York Times
  5. Iran hits Gulf energy sites, escalating war, as U.S. mulls sanctions rollback  The Washington Post
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Palestinians celebrate Eid in Gaza, making the most of a fragile ceasefire – NPR

  1. Palestinians celebrate Eid in Gaza, making the most of a fragile ceasefire  NPR
  2. Baking in rubble: Gaza woman keeps Eid traditions alive despite shortages  Al Jazeera
  3. Eid in Gaza Displays Palestinians’ Profound Loss — and Continued Resilience  Truthout
  4. Eid Mubarak from WCK  World Central Kitchen
  5. Between Loss and the Determination to Celebrate: Voices of Children in Gaza  American Friends Service Committee
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Senior European journalist suspended over AI-generated quotes

Mediahuis suspends Peter Vandermeersch, who says he ‘fell into trap of hallucinations’, after investigation by newspaper where he was once editor-in-chief

The publisher of the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf and the Irish Independent has suspended one of its senior journalists after he admitted using AI to “wrongly put words into people’s mouths”.

Peter Vandermeersch, the former head of the Irish operations at Mediahuis, said he “fell into the trap of hallucinations” – the term for AI-generated errors – when using the technology.

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‘COWARDS’: Trump blasts NATO allies over Hormuz – politico.eu

  1. ‘COWARDS’: Trump blasts NATO allies over Hormuz  politico.eu
  2. A Look at the Escalating Battle for the Strait of Hormuz  The New York Times
  3. Graham to Trump: Consider removing ‘US bases from countries who won’t let us fly from them’  The Hill
  4. Trump calls NATO "cowards" over lack of support in Iran war  Reuters
  5. Seven U.S. allies back potential Strait of Hormuz coalition  Axios
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