Farage backs Tory attack on Muslim iftar event, saying public prayer ‘was a shock’ – UK politics live

Nigel Farage echoed Nick Timothy’s comments after he said public prayer for Ramadan was an ‘act of domination’

Cleverly is trying to show a video, but it is not working. So he just invites Kemi Badenoch to start her speech.

The Conservatives are launching their local elections campaign. There is a live feed here.

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Joseph Duggar, former reality TV star, arrested on child molestation charges

Duggar, 31, was taken into custody in Arkansas and was awaiting extradition to Florida, where he faces charges

Former reality TV star Joseph Duggar is facing a child molestation charge in Florida, almost five years after his brother Josh, who also starred in the TLC show 19 Kids and Counting, was convicted of downloading child sexual abuse images.

Joseph Duggar, 31, was arrested in Arkansas, where he lives, and was awaiting extradition to Florida on Thursday. Duggar is charged with lewd and lascivious behavior toward a child under 12 years old, according to an arrest affidavit from the Bay county sheriff’s office in Panama City, Florida.

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Targeting of energy facilities turned Iran war into worst-case scenario for Gulf states – The Conversation

  1. Targeting of energy facilities turned Iran war into worst-case scenario for Gulf states  The Conversation
  2. The oil logic behind Trump’s war on Iran  Al Jazeera
  3. Iran war leaves deep, costly scar on Mideast energy  Reuters
  4. Newspaper headlines: Iran war unleashes 'world energy shock' and 'King of the coast'  BBC
  5. Why the Iran war energy shock is different  Atlantic Council
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Tropical Cyclone Narelle Is Expected to Hit Northern Queensland – The New York Times

  1. Tropical Cyclone Narelle Is Expected to Hit Northern Queensland  The New York Times
  2. Afternoon Update: Tropical Cyclone Narelle makes landfall; PM heckled at mosque; and stadium injures NRL coach  The Guardian
  3. 'She's Here!': Australian Man Braves Tropical Cyclone Narelle's Strong Winds  Yahoo
  4. Cyclone Narelle: Australians told to shelter as intense wind and rain hits Queensland  BBC
  5. Live: Resident says roofs lost, trees felled as severe Cyclone Narelle tears into Queensland coast  ABC News
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Indian film board blocks release of Oscar-nominated Gaza drama The Voice of Hind Rajab

Distributor says authorities warned screening Tunisian film-maker Kaouther Ben Hania’s docudrama could harm India–Israel relations

The Indian release of The Voice of Hind Rajab, the Oscar-nominated Tunisian film about the death of a five-year-old girl during the Israel-Gaza war, has been blocked by the country’s ratings body, according to the film’s Indian distributor.

In a report by Variety, Manoj Nandwana of Mumbai-based Jai Viratra Entertainment said that he was told that if the film was released, it would “break up” India-Israel relations.

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Viktor Orbán refuses to agree to €90bn loan for Ukraine as EU leaders accuse him of betrayal

German chancellor Friedrich Merz described Orbán’s U-turn on the loan Hungary had agreed to in December as ‘a gross act of disloyalty’

EU leaders fumed after Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, refused to drop his opposition to a vital €90bn (£78bn) loan for Ukraine, accusing him of betrayal and acting in bad faith.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz described Orbán’s U-turn on the loan Hungary had agreed to in December as “a gross act of disloyalty” adding: “I am firmly convinced that it will leave deep marks.”

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Concerns raised over ex-Putin interpreter’s key role in monitoring Hungary vote

Daria Boyarskaya coordinating OSCE mission overseeing vote in which pro-Moscow Viktor Orbán could lose power

Hungarian rights groups have raised concerns over the appointment of Vladimir Putin’s former interpreter to a key role in an international election monitoring mission, amid fears of Russian interference ahead of Hungary’s crucial vote next month.

Daria Boyarskaya, who worked for many years for Russia’s foreign ministry and interpreted in numerous high-level meetings including one between Putin and Donald Trump, is now a senior adviser at the parliamentary assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE-PA), based in Vienna. She is coordinating the body’s mission to monitor next month’s parliamentary election in Hungary.

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Meningitis vaccine eligibility expanded after Kent outbreak rises to 27

Anyone who was at Club Chemistry in Canterbury from 5 March to 15 March advised to get antibiotics and vaccination

The government has announced a major expansion in vaccination against meningitis in Kent after seven new cases of the disease were confirmed in the county, taking the total number of cases to 27.

On a visit to the University of Kent, the health secretary, Wes Streeting, said anyone who attended the Club Chemistry nightclub in Canterbury from 5 March until 15 March should come forward for antibiotics and vaccination.

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Iranian attack hits Israeli oil refinery in Haifa, some damage reported – Reuters

  1. Iranian attack hits Israeli oil refinery in Haifa, some damage reported  Reuters
  2. Iran war updates: Israel refinery bombed as retaliatory strikes reverberate  Al Jazeera
  3. Couple Killed in Cluster Bomb Attack Near Tel Aviv  The New York Times
  4. 'After the cluster opens, it’s too late:' Israeli expert explains Iranian cluster warhead challenge  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Iran missile launch detected, sirens expected soon  The Times of Israel
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Denmark reportedly flew blood bags to Greenland in preparation for a US attack

Amid Trump threats, Copenhagen also sent over explosives intended to blow up runways, according to Danish media

Denmark reportedly readied itself for potential attack from the US in January – flying bags of blood to Greenland and explosives to blow up runways in case of a battle with its former closest ally.

During the tense days when Donald Trump threatened to take over Greenland – a largely autonomous territory that is part of the Danish commonwealth – “the hard way”, Copenhagen was so shaken that it started preparing for US invasion, according to Danish public broadcaster DR.

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Live Updates: Iran war escalates, energy prices spike after Israeli strike on South Pars gas field – CBS News

  1. Live Updates: Iran war escalates, energy prices spike after Israeli strike on South Pars gas field  CBS News
  2. Trump Says U.S. and Qatar Not Involved in Strike on Iran’s South Pars Gas Field  The New York Times
  3. Middle East crisis live: Israeli officials push back on US claim that Trump knew nothing about gasfield attack  The Guardian
  4. European Gas Jumps 35% After World’s Top LNG Plant Hit by Iran  Bloomberg.com
  5. After Tehran strikes, Trump says Israel won't attack Iran gas fields anymore  Axios
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In Big Step On Hormuz, UK, France Say Ready To “Contribute” To Safe Passage – NDTV

  1. In Big Step On Hormuz, UK, France Say Ready To "Contribute" To Safe Passage  NDTV
  2. Joint statement on Strait of Hormuz by European nations, Japan, Canada  Reuters
  3. Live updates: State Department approves arms sales to Gulf countries  NewsNation
  4. Trump tells Israel not to repeat strikes on Iranian energy as crisis deepens  Yahoo
  5. European nations, Japan to join ‘appropriate efforts’ to open Hormuz Strait  Al Jazeera
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Seven U.S. allies back potential Strait of Hormuz coalition – Axios

  1. Seven U.S. allies back potential Strait of Hormuz coalition  Axios
  2. As allies resist US call to help in Strait of Hormuz, Trump says it was a loyalty test  Military Times
  3. US Allies See No Way of Opening Hormuz Strait During War  Bloomberg.com
  4. China ignores Trump’s Hormuz request as the Iran war deepens and his Beijing trip slips  AP News
  5. Estonia ‘ready to talk’ on Strait of Hormuz backup  Politico
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Iran War Live Updates: As Oil and Gas Prices Soar, Bessent Says U.S. May Release More Reserves – The New York Times

  1. Iran War Live Updates: As Oil and Gas Prices Soar, Bessent Says U.S. May Release More Reserves  The New York Times
  2. What we know on the 20th day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran  CNN
  3. No 'definitive time frame' to end Iran war, Pentagon to seek funds from Congress — as it happened  ABC News
  4. Morning Mail: crude spikes as Israel hits major gasfield, the driveways that ate Sydney, flight of the fashionistas  The Guardian
  5. Iran conflict to end as US has achieved aims: Albanese  thesenior.com.au
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2 Men Charged With Spying for Iran on Jewish Institutions in UK – The New York Times

  1. 2 Men Charged With Spying for Iran on Jewish Institutions in UK  The New York Times
  2. London police commissioner describes department’s work to disrupt Iran-backed retaliation plots  CNN
  3. Two men charged with spying for Iran targeting London Jewish community  ایران اینترنشنال
  4. 2 men in UK court accused of spying on Israeli embassy, London's Bevis Marks Synagogue for Iran  The Times of Israel
  5. Two men charged over alleged spying on Jewish community in London for Iran  The Guardian
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