crack

A crack in the empire’s mirror – Middle East Monitor

Last night, in one of the most dramatic elections in recent US history, Zahran Mamdani, a Muslim candidate of Indian African descent, achieved a landslide victory. This triumph came despite facing formidable opposition from the forces of Zionism, capitalism, and racialist religious supremacism, which mobilized significant resources in terms of money, muscle, and power against him.

The victory of Zahran Mamdani, the son of renowned intellectual Mahmood Mamdani and Film maker Mira Nair, as a Democratic candidate in New York mayoral elections is far more than a local electoral victory. It signals a deeper undercurrent—a growing rebellion against the entangled machinery of global capitalism, racialised securitisation, Zionist impunity, and Islamophobic silencing.

In the heart of New York, one of the most securitised and capital-rich spaces on the planet, Mamdani’s emergence stands as a critique of the global order. It is an insurgency within the very citadel of imperial liberalism. His campaign foregrounds anti-austerity politics, solidarity with Palestine, and the dismantling of carceral and corporate logics that have defined American life for decades. It is, in essence, a blow to what The Globalisation of World Politics calls “the disciplining power of capitalism.”

For years, the mere act of criticising Israel—even for its brutal siege of Gaza or its apartheid policies—has been enough to trigger political excommunication. The term “antisemite” has often been deployed not to combat real hate, but to securitize dissent. Any moral critique of Zionist settler colonialism was cast as existential threat and thus silenced. In Mamdani’s case, too, this familiar script was attempted: the labels of “Pro-Hamas,” “Antisemitic,” and “extremist” were hurled. But this time, it didn’t work.

READ: Zohran Mamdani elected New York City’s first Muslim mayor: AP projection

The people of New York—multi-ethnic, young, politically awakened—refused to accept this securitisation. The old rhetorical weapons no longer resonate. Zionism’s carefully curated moral immunity, built upon the tragic weight of the Holocaust, is eroding under the real-time horrors of a genocidal siege in Gaza. The shield of historical victimhood has cracked—not because the Holocaust is forgotten, but because it is being morally manipulated to justify colonial violence.

Even prominent Jewish scholars and intellectuals—such as Noam Chomsky, Norman Finkelstein, and Ilan Pappé—have long warned about this moral dissonance. Yet, governments have remained complicit. Streets across the West have mobilised in support of Palestine, but policies have not shifted. The disconnect between public sentiment and the actions of the power elite is glaring. The political representation of this street sympathy has been manipulated through manufactured consent and a false victimhood narrative propagated by large, conglomerate-controlled media outlets. Mamdani’s nomination suggests that the public may finally be finding a way to express their views through electoral channels, despite the entrenched media-industrial Zionist consensus.

Yet in India, the silence is deafening.

Despite Zahran’s cultural and familial linkages with India, the so-called liberal intelligentsia and the Hindutva right have found rare unity: in ignoring him. Why? Because he identifies unapologetically as a Muslim. Because he challenges Hindutva and Zionism with equal clarity. Because he doesn’t perform his identity for liberal comfort. While India was quick to celebrate Kamala Harris and Rishi Sunak—symbols of minority success within dominant systems—it refuses to acknowledge Mamdani, who represents defiance, not assimilation.

This is not just the prejudice of the right-wing. It reveals a deep Islamophobia embedded within India’s secular elite—those who pride themselves on defending the social fabric but look away when a Muslim victory doesn’t align with sanitized, capitalist liberalism. Mamdani is inconvenient. He is too political, too Muslim, too critical.

But he is also the embodiment of a long tradition. The son of Mahmood Mamdani—whose work deconstructs the legacies of colonial violence, racial statecraft, and the “good Muslim/bad Muslim” dichotomy—Zahran is the intellectual and political heir to global decolonial thought. His mother, Mira Nair, whose films have captured migration, racial tension, and identity, adds a cultural dimension to this lineage of resistance.

In a world that feels increasingly bleak, Mamdani’s nomination offers a rare moment of clarity: that cracks have begun to appear in the mirror of empire. The hegemon can still silence, still dominate—but not without resistance, and not without fracture. For those who dream of justice—not just electoral wins—Zahran Mamdani’s nomination is a reminder that history is not yet finished.

READ: Syria, the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Sharaa’s manoeuvring

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

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Police to get broader powers to crack down on repeated protests

Shabana Mahmood: “This is not about a ban, it’s about restrictions and conditions”

Police forces will be granted powers to put conditions on repeat protests, the government has announced, a day after nearly 500 protesters were arrested.

Senior officers will be able to consider the “cumulative impact” of previous protests, the Home Office said, which could mean they instruct organisers to hold events elsewhere if a site has seen repeated demonstrations.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme the move was not a ban on protests but “about restrictions and conditions”.

Organisers of Saturday’s protests, against Palestine Action being made a proscribed terror organisation, had been urged to postpone them after two men were killed in an attack at a synagogue in Manchester.

Mahmood told the BBC she accepted Jewish people who are angry with the government can be justified in doing so.

“I am very worried about the state of community relations in our country,” Mahmood said as she outlined her a responsibility to think about the action the government can take to “strengthen our communities” and “to make sure people are well-integrated into our society”.

“I do recognise the sense of people feeling let down,” she added. “I do recognise that people have been saying for a while that this was only a matter of time.

“It is devastating to hear our citizens say that and I will ensure that the government response to what has happened meets the scale of the challenge that is being put to us.”

Kemi Badenoch says the government ‘must prove to Jewish people it has their back’

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch backed the new powers but questioned why it had taken so long and said the government must prove it had the backs of Jewish people.

“We believe in free speech but that has to be within the bounds of the law, if protests are used to intimidate, to incite hatred then that is not protest,” she told the BBC.

In a separate speech later on Sunday welcoming Conservative delegates to the Tory party conference in Manchester she said extremism in the UK “has gone unchecked”

“You see it manifest in the shameful behaviour on the streets of our cities, protests which are in fact carnivals of hatred directed at the Jewish homeland.

“We have tolerated this in our country for too long and we have tolerated the radical Islamist ideology that seeks to threaten not only Jews, but all of us of all faiths and none who want to live in peace.

“So, the message from this conference, from this party, from every decent and right-thinking person in this country must be that we will not stand for it anymore.”

Police forces had warned resources would be stretched, with officers across the country offering additional support to hundreds of synagogues and Jewish community sites.

The new powers will be “brought forward as soon as possible”, the Home Office said.

Currently, for police to ban a march entirely, there needs to be a risk of serious public disorder.

But under the new rules, where there have been repeated protests, police could impose conditions such as requiring it to be held elsewhere or on the duration of events.

Mahmood said that while the right to protest is fundamental “this freedom must be balanced with the freedom of their neighbours to live their lives without fear”.

Large, repeated protests could leave sections of the country, particularly religious communities, “feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes”, she added.

This had been particularly evident within the Jewish community recently, she said.

The home secretary will carry out a review of current protest legislation to “ensure powers are sufficient and being applied consistently”, the government said.

This will include powers to ban protests outright, the government said.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson said the move would be the “worst of all worlds” by not tackling antisemitic hate but also undermine the “fundamental right to peaceful protest”.

Most of those arrested at protests on Saturday were held on suspicion of supporting the proscribed group Palestine Action.

Organisers Defend Our Juries said around 1,000 took part in demonstrations around Trafalgar Square against the ban on the group and opposing Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Following the Home Office announcement on protests the group posted on social media accusing the government of “silencing opposition” and “authoritarianism”.

Responding to Mahmood’s comments, Defend Our Juries said: “It beggars belief that the government has responded to widespread condemnation of its unprecedented attack on the right to protest – from the United Nations, Amnesty International, legal experts and even the former director of public prosecutions – by announcing a further crackdown on free speech and assembly in our country.”

Hundreds of people have been arrested since the group was outlawed by former home secretary Yvette Cooper in the summer, predominantly for holding signs saying they support Palestine Action.

Israel has repeatedly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide and that its actions are justified as a means of self-defence following the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack.

But last month the world’s leading association of genocide scholars said that Israel’s conduct meets the legal definition as laid out in the UN convention on genocide.

The arrests have been criticised by human rights group Amnesty International, which said arresting people for “peacefully sitting down and holding these signs” was not a job for the police.

On Sunday the charity said the powers were “a reheat” of a move by the previous Conservative government that had been found unlawful by the courts.

Tom Southerden, its UK law and human rights director, said the move bore no relation to Saturday’s protests which had been in a new location.

Watch: Activists applauded their fellow protesters as they were detained

Organisers of Saturday’s protest, Defend Our Juries, had been asked to reconsider their plans following the killing of two men at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Yom Kippur – the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar.

But organisers said in a statement beforehand it hoped police “choose to prioritise protecting the public from real terrorism, and not waste resources on enforcing the absurd and ridiculous ban on Palestine Action”.

Former Tory MP and minister Dame Penny Mordaunt, who co-wrote a cross-party report on antisemitism, said there was “no doubt” some people at the rallies were “violent antisemites stirring up hatred”, while Conservative Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said those standing alongside them were “useful idiots”.

Labour MP Lucy Powell called for a “tougher regulatory regime” to stop the spread of antisemitism online, where she said the spread was phenomenal.

Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz were killed after Jihad Al-Shamie drove a car into people outside synagogue in Manchester.

Al-Shamie then tried to force his way into the building before being shot dead by armed police. Three others were injured in the attack.

Several arrests have been made in relation to the attack and Mahmood said four people remained in custody on Sunday morning.

The home secretary will write to chief constables on Sunday to encourage them to use all their powers to prevent and respond to public disorder, as well as thanking them for their response following Thursday’s attack.

Police forces are working with the Community Security Trust, a charity which works to protect Jewish people from terror and antisemitism, to reassure the Jewish community, the home office said.

On Sunday, the Board of Deputies of British Jews is holding a commemorative event ahead of Tuesday’s second anniversary of the 7 October attacks on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

The group has welcomed the government’s move to increase police powers and described recent protests as “deeply irresponsible and offensive”.

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The REAL ‘Da Vinci code’ nearly solved as experts find ancient bloodline dating back 700 years to crack grave mystery

THE real ‘Da Vinci Code’ is close to finally being solved after a major scientific breakthrough.

Experts are racing to crack the mystery of DNA, death and burial tied to legendary artist, scientist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci.

Illustration of Leonardo da Vinci, a man with a long beard and hair, drawn with red chalk on paper.

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This is believed to be a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, dated to around 1515Credit: Alamy
Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci.

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Da Vinci created some of the world’s most iconic artworks, including the Mona LisaCredit: Getty
Audrey Tautou and Tom Hanks in *The Da Vinci Code*.

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Da Vinci’s life and works inspired 2003’s The Da Vinci Code novel by Dan Brown, which was turned into a feature film in 2006 starring Tom Hanks and Audrey TautouCredit: Alamy

The world was captivated by 2003 novel and 2006 movie The Da Dinvci Code.

It saw Tom Hanks playing a professor looking to uncover a religious mystery around the Holy Grail with clues hidden in Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting The Last Supper.

But the real Da Vinci Code that scientists are trying to solve involves mapping out the artist’s genome.

That’s the entire collection of DNA in da Vinci’s body – all of the genetic instructions needed to make and maintain him.

Read more on Leonardo da Vinci

Now scientists say that they’ve confirmed a male bloodline that they can date all the way back to 1331.

This family tree spans 21 generations and involves as many as 400 individuals.

And they’ve found at least six descendants who, after DNA testing, can be traced directly to Leonardo da Vinci, who was born in 1452 in Anchiano, Vinci, Florence and died in 1519.

As part of the research, the scientists have also confirmed the existence of a da Vinci family tomb, in the Church of Santa Croce in Vinci.

The experts think this may be where several of Leonardo da Vinci’s family members are buried.

That includes his grandfather Antonio, uncle Francesco, and half-brothers Antonio, Pandolfo, and Giovanni.

Newly discovered sketch of Christ with ‘Mona Lisa gaze’ is unknown masterpiece by Leonardo Da Vinci, experts claim

“Further detailed analyses are necessary to determine whether the DNA extracted is sufficiently preserved,” said David Caramelli, of the University of Florence.

“Based on the results, we can proceed with analysis of Y chromosome fragments for comparison with current descendants.”

Now scientists hope to analyse the remains in the Vinci church tombs to find a match with the Y chromosome of the living descendants.

And scientists are also hoping to look for traces left on his original works.

Illustration of Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, showing a male figure in two superimposed positions with his limbs outstretched within a square and a circle, surrounded by handwritten text.

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The Vitruvian Man is one of da Vinci’s most famous sketchesCredit: Getty
Leonardo da Vinci's manuscript showing scientific observations, theories, and diagrams about gravity, the moon, and planets.

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As well as painting, Leonardo da Vinci wrote about science, mathematics, astronomy and geographyCredit: Getty
Vinci village and vineyards in Tuscany, Italy.

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Vinci village in Florence is the birthplace of Leonardo Da VinciCredit: Alamy

This could allow scientists to fully reconstruct da Vinci’s DNA.

“Our goal in reconstructing the Da Vinci family’s lineage up to the present day,” said Alessandro Vezzosi, of the Leonardo da Vinci Heritage Association.

“While also preserving and valuing the places connected to Leonardo, is to enable scientific research on his DNA.

“Through the recovery of Leonardo’s DNA, we hope to understand the biological roots of his extraordinary visual acuity, creativity, and possibly even aspects of his health and causes of death.”

WHO WAS LEONARDO DA VINCI?

Here’s what you need to know…

  • Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian artist and inventor who lived in Renassiance Italy
  • He was born on 14/15 April 1452, and died at the age of 67 on May 2, 1519
  • The iconic figure is often dubbed a “polymath”, because he excelled at so many fields, including drawing, painting, sculpting, science, music, mathematics, engineering, astronomy, botany, writing and history
  • Da Vinci is widely considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time
  • He has also been branded as the father of various fields, including palaeontology, ichnology (the study of trace fossils) and architecture
  • Several modern inventions are also very loosely credited to da Vinci, including the parachute, helicopter and tank
  • Da Vinci was described as having an “uenquenchable curiosity” and a “feverishly inventive imagination”
  • His most famous work is the Mona Lisa, which has been on permanent display at the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1797
  • He also created The Last Supper, which is the most reproduced religious painting of all time
  • His painting Salvator Mundi was sold at auction for $450.3million (£355.4million) in November 2017
  • The sale to Prince Badr bin Abdullah set a new record for the most expensive painting ever sold at a public auction
  • Da Vinci is believed to have died of a stroke at the manor house Clos Lucé in France in 1519

Scientists may be able to use this information to confirm da Vinci’s final resting place.

The Renaissance painter was originally said to have been buried in Amboise, France in the Saint Florentin church.

This church was severely damaged during the French Revolution.

And bones believed to belong to him were moved to the Chapel of St Hubert in Amboise.

St. Florentin Church in Amboise, France, at dusk, with its large, dark roof and illuminated stone walls featuring stained glass windows, and a tall bell tower rising in the background.

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St. Florentin Church in Amboise was severely damaged during the French RevolutionCredit: Alamy

But there have been doubts over whether these bones really do belong to da Vinci – a puzzle that could be solved using his DNA.

So scientists are probing what remains of da Vinci in terms of his works and descendants to crack the real code.

“Even a tiny fingerprint on a page could contain cells to sequence,” says Jesse H. Ausubel, of The Rockefeller University, who is director of the DNA project.

“21st-century biology is moving the boundary between the unknowable and the unknown.

Leonardo da Vinci tomb in Amboise castle, France.

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Da Vinci’s remains are currently believed to be entombed in the Chapel of Saint-HubertCredit: Alamy
Saint-Hubert Gothic Chapel in Amboise, France, with Leonardo Da Vinci's tomb.

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The gothic chapel is at the Château d’Amboise in FranceCredit: Alamy

“Soon we may gain information about Leonardo and other historical figures once believed lost forever.”

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Celebs are making us cringe with their butt-flashing looks just to be ‘on trend’ – your crack isn’t ‘glam’, put it away

THE saying goes, ‘less is more’, but celebrities are taking that a little too literally as flashing thongs return.

The trend was big in the noughties with the ‘it’ girls of the day, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, showing the tops of their G-Strings.

Margot Robbie on a red carpet, seen from behind, wearing a sheer, beaded dress with an open back and hair styled in an updo.

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Margot Robbie attends the “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” UK Premiere at the Odeon Luxe Leicester SquareCredit: Getty
Myleene Klass from behind, wearing a sheer black dress over black underwear, walking on a paved street.

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Myleene Klass makes a cheeky exit at Sky Arts Awards as she flashes her underwear beneath a sheer panelled dressCredit: BackGrid
Dakota Johnson in a black sheer, embroidered gown.

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Dakota Johnson flaunted a similar look while attending an eventCredit: Splash

And TV royalty, Gillian Anderson flashed hers on the red-carpet at the Oscars in 2001 but later was killed off by fashion notoriety – along with tramp stamps.

Flashing your thongs had a resurgence in 2020 with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian flashing their underwear, but now the trend is more than just peeking above your jeans.

It’s about basically doing a moony, but getting away with it because you’re in couture.

Last week Margot Robbie paid tribute to the late, and great, Mr Giorigio Armani who sadly passed away earlier this month by wearing one of his spring designs, a completely sheer and bejewelled dress.

At the premier of her new film, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, the 35-year-old undoubtedly looked incredible in the see-through gown with plunging back that showed she was only wearing a thong.

Just a couple of days later fellow actress Dakota Johnson, 35, wore a similar look.

A high neck, long sleeved, floor length dress made from lace that also flashed her bum in a black thong.

Her Gucci gown for a charity dinner in New York, again, looked incredible on her.

But we need to think about their consequences.

Thongs, a piece of fabric that connects from the front to the back and no more than a few centimetres thick. And that connection of fabric goes via your, erm, bum.

Olivia Attwood makes cryptic comment as she strips off to thong and bra before jetting to Vegas without husband Bradley

When it’s in black and white it sounds vulgar, and not to mention uncomfortable.

And I don’t want to see that when I’m in a bar sipping my glass of Sauvignon, because let’s face it where celebs lead – we all follow.

When you’re a Hollywood A-lister with the pristine figure good enough to better the world’s best supermodels, sure flash away – you look sensational.

But let’s not make this trend grip the nation or we’ll be faced with fleshy, droopy, white bottoms on the loose up and down the country.

Pants for a charity fundraiser? No thank you.

Clemmie Fieldsend

And if you shudder at the sight of a ‘builders bum’ then don’t, please don’t, let this trend catch on – because your Friday night in your local ‘Spoons will be overrun with bums.

And it’s not just Margot and Dakota that could lead us into the cringe fashion flop.

Actress Helen Flannagan celebrated her 35th birthday by wearing a gold dress with a thong-bodysuit underneath.

Whilst on holiday the Corrie star went for a more toned down version of the trend wearing something similar to a thong cossie under a beach dress.

Helen Flanagan wows in a golden thong bodysuit.

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Helen Flanagan wows in golden thong bodysuit as she celebrates 35th birthdayCredit: Instagram / hjgflanagan
Maya Jama in a sheer black gown with a plunging neckline and bare shoulders.

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Earlier this year Maya Jama showed off her thong in a sheer dressCredit: Instagram
Charli XCX in a sheer black dress and a black veil, walking away from the camera on a red carpet.

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Charli XCX attends The BRIT Awards 2025 at Intercontinental Hotel on March 01, 2025Credit: Getty

Singer Dua Lipa, 30, hit the streets of New York for the Charlie Chaplin Gala this April in a beautiful black knitted dress with a fine weave that revealed her underwear.

Another modest style of the trend but nevertheless, pants for a charity fundraiser? No thank you.

Model Cara Delevingne has been at it too.

In May at the premier for the Ocean With David Attenborough documentary in London she flashed her thong, and the rest of her body all within spitting distance of our national treasure, Sir David.

There’s no escaping the fact that if we copy you we’ll become the butt of every joke

Clemmie Fieldsend

Complete with plunging neckline, the 33-year-olds chainmail grown might have been a bit too risque for such an occasion and a bit too chilly.

In the same month, Britney Spears did her one of her usual dancing around on Instagram videos, but this time just in thread-bare underwear.

The 43-year-old chose to wear just her bra and knickers for the video and black leather knee high boots.

Now, I’m all for doing what you like in your own home, but maybe the rest of us don’t need to see it.

Dua Lipa at the 50th Chaplin Gala Honoring Pedro Almodóvar.

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Dua Lipa at the 50th Chaplin Gala Honoring Pedro Almodóvar held at Lincoln Center on April 28, 2025Credit: Getty
Britney Spears in a thong, facing away from the camera, standing by a pool.

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Britney Spears shows off her bare bottom in see-through thong then talks Colin Farrell fling as she dances in lingerieCredit: Instagram/britneyspears
Singer Tyla in a black, floor-length gown with a draped back, exposing her lower back and left leg.

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Singer Tyla Laura Seethal a.k.a. Tyla attends the Jacquemus Menswear Fall-Winter 2025/2026 show as part of Paris Fashion WeekCredit: Getty

Love Island host Maya Jama was reviving the noughties trend way back in January.

For the All Stars series she headed back to the villa wearing a Norma Kamali see-though, ruched gown with off-the-shoulder straps with nothing but black underwear underneath.

With the warm temperatures of South Africa, she may have felt hot and wanted something cool to wear, and if anyone is going to look amazing in this trend it’s Maya, but let’s save it for private holidays.

For high days and holidays maybe, but come on ladies.

There’s no escaping the fact that if we copy you we’ll become the butt of every joke.

So let’s leave this trend, and cracks, in the past.

Julia Fox in a black leather jacket, sheer black skirt, and knee-high platform boots, looking over her shoulder at the 67th Grammy Awards.

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Julia Fox attends the 67th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com ArenaCredit: Getty
Nikki Glaser attends the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards.

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Nikki Glaser attends the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS ArenaCredit: Getty

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Stunning Love Islander lined up as bombshell for US Games show in bid to crack America

A stunning Love Island UK star has been lined up as a bombshell for season 2 of US Games. 

Two Brit Love Islanders have already been announced for the show and now a third will be added to the mix in a bid for her to crack America. 

Woman in a patterned bikini on a boat.

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Stunning Love Islander Catherine Agbaje lined up as bombshell for US Games show in bid to crack AmericaCredit: Instagram
Catherine from Love Island.

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The brunette bombshell first appeared on the ITV2 dating show back in 2023Credit: ITV

Irish lass Catherine Agbaje, 25, is taking another shot at love and money as she enters the villa for a third time.

The brunette bombshell first appeared on the ITV2 dating show back in 2023 but failed to find love on the show.

During her first time in the villa Catherine coupled up with Zachariah Noble, Scott van der Sluis and Elom Ahlijah-Wilson.

While she left the villa with Elom, Catherine was left heartbroken when things didn’t work out with Scott.

She went back for a second time on All Stars and met Omar Nyame and the two coupled up eventually exiting the show together. 

Omar and Catherine managed to reach the final during their stint, finishing in fourth place. 

But, the couple failed to make it work once the show ended and they went back to their normal lives.

Now Catherine will be trying her luck in Love Island Games as a bombshell, an insider told us: “Catherine has flown out to Fiji and is in holding right now – she’s being lined up as a bombshell for Love Island Games. 

“She didn’t find love the first two times around on the ITV show – but wants to find a man and crack the US this time!”

Catherine’s rep and Peacock have been contacted for comment.

Love Island’s Emma cosies up to newly single ITV star

Series two of Love Island Games kicks off on Wednesday, September 16 and UK viewers will recognise a few of those taking part

The spin-off will bring together iconic Islanders from the UK, USA, France, Malta, Belgium and the Netherlands. 

Lucinda Strafford, who shot to fame on series seven of the UK version before appearing in Love Island Australia series five, and series 10’s Tyrique Hyde will both be part of the starting line-up. 

But Harriett Blackmore – from series 11 and All Stars series two – and Toby Aromolaran, who first appeared on the same series as Lucinda before returning for the first All Stars spin-off in 2023, will make a splash with late entrances

Meanwhile, fellow Islander and All Stars winner Gabby Allen has also signed up for the Games spin-off.

She agreed to take part in the upcoming series filmed in the US after her split from Casey O’Gorman.

Scott van-der-Sluis and Catherine Agbaje chatting on Love Island.

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Catherine was left heartbroken when things didn’t work out with Scott van der Sluis on her first villa stintCredit: Rex
Tyrique Hyde, Love Island Games season 2 contestant.

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Series 10’s Tyrique Hyde will be part of the starting line-upCredit: NBC
Lucinda Strafford, Love Island Games season 2 cast member.

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Lucinda Strafford who shot to fame on series seven of the UK version is also apart of the OG lineupCredit: NBC

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Starmer facing huge pressure from own MPs to crack down on illegal immigration after Farage reveals his deportation plan

SIR Keir Starmer is under huge pressure to take a tougher line on immigration — as even his own MPs reckon his asylum shake-up is not enough.

The Prime Minister has been warned he will lose the next election unless the Government gets a grip on the Channel crisis — with one backbencher calling for a “national emergency” to shut down most asylum claims.

Keir Starmer at a meeting.

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Keir Starmer is under huge pressure to take a tougher line on immigrationCredit: Reuters
Migrants board an inflatable boat.

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Chaos as men are squeezed into a dinghy yesterdayCredit: Reuters
Nigel Farage speaking at a press conference.

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Nigel Farage cranked things up with a blueprint that pledges a mass deportation blitz within 30 days of arrival at No10Credit: Getty

It came as Nigel Farage cranked things up with a blueprint that pledges a mass deportation blitz within 30 days of arrival at No10.

Last week, Home Office figures revealed that a record number of people have claimed asylum in the UK since Labour came to power.

Just over 111,000 made claims in the year to June — with 32,000 migrants currently living in taxpayer-funded hotels.

Even yesterday, migrants continued to board dinghies off the coast of France to attempt the dangerous Channel crossing.

Reform UK leader Mr Farage is today due to unveil plans to arrest all illegal arrivals on entry, detain them on disused military bases and deport them within a month.

Under the blueprint, the UK would leave the European Convention on Human Rights and scrap the Human Rights Act, replacing it with a new British Bill of Rights.

The hardline stance will be pitched directly against the package unveiled by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper at the weekend.

Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice said: “The Reform plan will defeat the lawyers using human rights laws to stop deportations.

“Labour’s plans will still allow the lawyers to use the ECHR and human rights to stop removals.”

Ms Cooper promised to scrap the tribunal system and replace it with panels of “professionally trained adjudicators” to fast-track appeals and reduce the backlog of 51,000 cases, which each take an average of more than a year.

Small boat crossings under Labour are on brink of hitting 50,000 – one illegal migrant every 11 mins since the election

She insisted the “broken” process was leaving thousands of people in the system for years on end and vowed to substantially reduce the numbers in asylum hotels.

It comes after the High Court granted a temporary injunction that will force the Home Office to relocate around 138 male asylum seekers from a hotel in Epping, Essex, in a matter of days.

Labour backbencher Jonathan Brash told The Sun yesterday: “The British people expect our borders to be secure and they are rightly angry at the situation on our south coast.

“If the Government’s current measures don’t end the boat crossings, then we must go further and faster, including declaring a national emergency if necessary and closing our country to all asylum claims except for unaccompanied children.

“The message must be crystal clear — if you cross the Channel illegally, you will be detained and returned immediately. No loopholes, no delays, no excuses.”

Veteran Labour MP Graham Stringer echoed his comments, saying: “We need to persuade people who are coming here in the belief they will be allowed to stay and get priority in terms of housing and healthcare, that this won’t be the case.

Refugees wading into the sea.

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A girl on a man’s shoulders as they wade towards a dinghy in FranceCredit: Getty
Migrants crowded in a small boat crossing the English Channel.

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An overloaded migrant boat set to head across the ChannelCredit: Getty
Migrant family in the water, approaching a boat full of other migrants.

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Another desperate family in the sea trying to reach a small boatCredit: Getty
Migrants on a bus.

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New arrivals are bussed from DoverCredit: Gary Stone

“And if that means withdrawing from international treaties, then so be it.” He also warned: “It will be very difficult to win the next election if we don’t solve the problem of illegal immigrants being given the right to stay.

We need to make it far more difficult for asylum seekers to want to come to this country

Jo White, leader of Labour’s Red Wall Caucus

“We need a more fundamental look at how to tackle illegal migration than the Government is currently pursuing.”

Jo White, leader of Labour’s Red Wall Caucus, also urged tougher action, saying: “I want Yvette Cooper to look at every possible solution — and there are many more than just looking at how fast the appeal system is working.

“We need to make it far more difficult for asylum seekers to want to come to this country.”

She went on: “I firmly believe that if we don’t sort it, then Labour are under threat at the next election.

“So I want this Government to look at every solution possible. And I’m very, very keen that Britain does take a look at what (Denmark) is doing.”

Denmark has pursued some of the toughest asylum policies in Europe, including plans to process claims in third countries, tighter rules on residency and benefits, and measures aimed at discouraging new arrivals.

Surge in foreign national sex raps

By JULIA ATHERLEY

MORE foreign nationals are being convicted of sexual offences than this time four years ago, data suggests.

They accounted for one in seven, or 14 per cent, of ­such convictions.

The figure has risen 62 per cent since 2021, according to Ministry of Justice data obtained by think tank the Centre for Migration Control.

By comparison, sex crime convictions by British nationals rose by 39.3 per cent for the same period.

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “This is yet more concerning data that shows mass, uncontrolled migration is fuelling serious crime. The Government needs to wake up, publish the full data and act to keep the public safe.”

Theft convictions by foreign nationals have risen by 77.9 per cent since 2021 — against 55.8 per cent for British nationals.

Robbery convictions by foreign nationals increased by 18.9 per cent, compared to 2.8 per cent by Brits.

The MoJ said the data should be treated with caution as an offender could have multiple nationalities listed, and one suspect could be responsible for multiple crimes.

Net migration hit a peak of 906,000 in 2023 under the Tory Government.

Foreign-born people make up 15 per cent of the pop­ulation.

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Undercover cops posing as joggers to crack down on catcalling by men ‘get catcalled within minutes’

A POLICE force sent undercover cops jogging to expose vile catcallers who target women on their runs.

Two officers from Surrey Police hit the streets in sportswear to show how often women get harassed while running – and, unsurprisingly, they were “catcalled within minutes”.

Two women jogging on a gravel path.

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Two undercover cops run to expose how often women are catcalledCredit: LBC
Woman speaking, text overlay says "diminished."

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PC Abby Hayward, who took part in the operation, said catcalling makes her feel ‘diminished’ and ‘uncomfortable’Credit: LBC
Two people walking past The Light.

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84 per cent of women have been harassed while running, one survey revealed

The operation, first reported by LBC, saw undercover officers jogging through known harassment “hotspots” in Reigate, Surrey during the evening rush hour.

Specialist units were close by, ready to step in if the women faced abuse, Surrey Police said.

The two officers were “targeted within minutes” by a man in a large truck who “honked at them and made gestures out the window”, according to LBC.

“These behaviours may not be criminal offences in themselves, but they need to be addressed,” a spokesperson for the force said.

Inspector John Vale said: “One of our officers was honked at within ten minutes – then another vehicle slowed down, beeping and making gestures just 30 seconds later – that’s how frequent it is.

“Someone slowing down, staring, shouting – even if it’s not always criminal – it can have a huge impact on people’s everyday lives and stops women from doing something as simple as going for a run.

“We have to ask: is that person going to escalate? Are they a sexual offender? We want to manage that risk early.”

PC Abby Hayward, who went undercover, said this kind of sexual harassment was a daily reality for women – and leaves her feeling “diminished” and “uncomfortable”.

She said: “This behaviour is either a precursor to something more serious or it’s ignorance, and it’s fixable.

“That’s where our interventions come in: to stop potential repeat offenders or help people understand that what they’re doing isn’t OK.”

Frantic search for missing mum, 49, who vanished from popular UK seaside town as daughter begs ‘please come home’

Surrey Police said its ‘Jog On’ campaign – launched just four weeks ago – has led to 18 arrests, including for sexual assault and theft.

Inspector Vale said: “We know that this kind of harassment is significantly under reported thanks to a study carried out by Surrey County Council this year, which revealed that of 450 female residents surveyed, 49 per cent never reported.

“To date, we have made a number of interventions following reports of harassment of our plain clothes runners. 

“In these cases, it was deemed appropriate to provide education around anti-social behaviour.

“For repeat offenders or where the behaviour is more serious, we will robustly pursue all criminal justice outcomes. 

“We recognise this is a significant worry for women and girls, and we’ll continue to patrol running routes throughout Redhill.”

He continued: “This type of harassment isn’t just being experienced by communities in Reigate and Banstead, but communities across the whole of Surrey, and it’s unacceptable.

“We have female officers and staff members who have been the subject to such behaviour when off duty. 

“The message I would like to impart to perpetrators is this; your actions will not be tolerated. 

“Please reflect and ask yourself ‘is this how you would treat or want your partner, mother, sister to be treated?”

“The next time you see a female jogger, just think, they could be a police officer with colleagues nearby ready to stop you. Your behaviour is not welcome in Surrey.”

The campaign faced criticism from the Free Speech Union, who called it a “bizarre social psychology experiment” and urged police to “stop hunting pre-crimes”.

Other forces have also taken steps to tackle the sexual harassment of women runners by men.

In 2022, the Met Police launched a buddy system, with officers accompanying a women’s running club in London.

84 per cent of women have been harassed while jogging, according to a 2021 survey by Runner’s World.

Woman being interviewed by LBC reporter.

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PC Abby Hayward said that catcalling is a daily reality for womenCredit: LBC

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Cannes becomes the latest famous destination to crack down on mass tourism | Tourism News

Nice, Venice, Barcelona and Amsterdam are other European cities that have also imposed limits on cruise ships.

The French Riviera resort of Cannes has become the latest famous European destination to join the growing global backlash against overtourism by imposing what its city council calls “drastic regulation” on cruise ships.

Cannes city councillors voted on Friday to introduce new limits on cruise ships in the city’s ports. Starting on January 1, only ships with fewer than 1,000 passengers will be allowed in the port, and a maximum of 6,000 passengers will be allowed to disembark daily. Larger ships will be expected to transfer passengers to smaller boats to enter Cannes.

Two cruise ships were scheduled to dock in Cannes, world-renowned for its film festival, on Sunday, each far larger than the upcoming 1,000-passenger limit with a combined capacity of more than 7,000 people.

“Cannes has become a major cruise ship destination, with real economic benefits. It’s not about banning cruise ships, but about regulating, organizing, setting guidelines for their navigation,” Mayor David Lisnard said in a statement.

Cruise operators have called such restrictions damaging for destinations and for passengers.

 

The nearby city of Nice announced limits on cruise ships earlier this year as have some other European cities, including Venice, Barcelona and Amsterdam.

France – which drew in 100 million visitors last year, more than any other European country and more than the country’s population – is at the forefront of efforts to balance economic benefits of tourism with environmental concerns while managing burgeoning crowds.

Cannes and Nice are not the only French cities to take action against overtourism.

On Monday in Paris, Louvre workers went on strike to protest “untenable” working conditions, “chronic understaffing” and “unmanageable crowds” caused by overtourism, which they felt the museum’s infrastructure and current staffing levels could no longer manage.

Similar protests have taken place recently in other European cities.

Demonstrations took place this weekend in Venice against Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding to highlight wealth inequality and protest against the impact of mass tourism on the city. Activists argued that the lavish three-day event exemplified the disregard for local residents’ needs, including affordable housing and essential services, in a city already struggling with mass tourism and environmental concerns.

Residents of Barcelona took a quirky approach by using water guns in protests against overtourism, aiming to highlight their frustration with how excessive visitor numbers are driving up housing costs, displacing locals and eroding the city’s unique character.

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Major European cities crack down on unruly Brits after rowdy stag do surge

Stag dos have a rowdy reputation, and it appears the hard-drinking Brits have returned with a vengeance following the pandemic, with European cities now cracking down

Several European tourist hotspots have started to crack down on drunken Brits and their stag dos
Several European tourist hotspots have started to crack down on drunken Brits and their stag dos

Stag do hotspots are witnessing a rowdy resurgence of booze-fuelled Brits but cities are now clamping down on disorderly visitors after numbers spiked again.

While many of the go-to destinations in Europe got some respite during and after the pandemic, the amount of tourists heading over for a good time are on the up – and with it comes problems for locals. Now, some cities are fighting back as they look to restore order again.

“The bachelor parties dropped off sharply during Covid and now they are picking up again,” Budapest tour guide Daniel Seres divulged to The Telegraph, discussing the popular Hungarian destination. “We need the income from tourists, but these big party groups only go on the free guided city tours [rather than paid], and they keep locals awake as they sing, stumble around and are sick on the streets.”

Budapest have already banned pedal-powered 'beer bikes'
Budapest have already banned pedal-powered ‘beer bikes’

Budapest has battled the disruption, banning “beer bikes” in 2017 over noise and safety issues. Come 2020, steps were taken to rein in the red light district, and by 2023, District VII escalated fines for noisy nights and indecent acts, distributing English leaflets at airports alerting tourists of the heftier penalties. That year also saw the power granted to establishments to reject bookings from large groups.

But it’s not just Budapest that’s tightening the reins; six additional European destinations have had their fill of misbehaving stag groups, reports the Express.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam's Red Light District is a popular area for visitors
Amsterdam’s Red Light District is a popular area for visitors

In 2023, the Dutch capital banned boozy guided tours and cannabis smoking in its infamous Red Light District. In the same year, Amsterdam also launched its “Stay Away” digital campaign targeting young British men with warnings about fines and arrests. Restrictions were also introduced on short-term rentals and alcohol sales during specific hours.

Barcelona

The Spanish city’s actions against undesirable tourists include strict enforcement of noise and behaviour fines, cracking down on unlicensed party promoters and short-term rental properties, and implementing tighter restrictions on public drinking.

Prague

The iconic Czech city of Prague has also prohibited “beer bikes”, increased police presence in central areas and discouraged promotions related to sex tourism and stag parties, including stag tours.

Krakow

The Polish city of Krakow has strictly regulated advertisements for strip clubs and “gentlemen’s entertainment” and is discussing stricter curbs on alcohol sales. Smoking has also been restricted to designated areas in some venues.

Lisbon

Actions include tightening regulations on short-term rentals, particularly in popular nightlife districts like Bairro Alto and Alfama, and increasing police patrols on weekends.

Dublin

Many hotels and venues in the Irish capital have adopted policies to refuse bookings for stag and hen parties. Targeted messaging also promotes “cultural” tourism over alcohol-fueled excursions.

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Contributor: Cracks in the Trump coalition? They won’t matter

Donald Trump’s coalition has always been a Frankenstein’s monster — stitched together from parts that were never meant to coexist.

Consider the contradictions: fast-food fanatics hanging out with juice-cleanse truthers chanting “Make America Healthy Again” between ivermectin doses, immigration hardliners mixing with business elites who are “tough on the border” until they need someone to clean their toilets or pick their strawberries, and hawkish interventionists spooning with America Firsters.

Dogs and cats living together — mass hysteria — you know the bit.

Navigating these differences was always going to be tricky. But in recent days — particularly following Israel’s bombing of Iran, an operation widely believed to have been greenlit by Trump — the tension has reached new highs.

Signs of strain were already emerging earlier this year. We got early hints of discord during the “Liberation Day” tariff fiasco — where Trump declared an “emergency” and imposed steep tariffs, only to suspend them after they riled markets and spooked his business-friendly backers.

The tariff blunder was a harbinger of things to come. But it was the House’s passage of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” — a budgetary monstrosity that self-respecting Freedom Caucus deficit hawks should’ve torched on principle — that truly exposed the rift.

Enter Elon Musk, the billionaire tech bro and MAGA ally, who publicly trashed both the bill and Trump in a flurry of posts. He even referenced Trump’s name reportedly appearing in Jeffrey Epstein’s files — a claim that, though unverified, was tantamount to “going nuclear.”

But before there was enough time to say “Republican civil war,” Musk deleted his mean tweets, adding to the evidence that this is still Trump’s party; that modern Republicans view deficits the way the rest of us view library late fees — technically real, but nothing to lose sleep over; and that ketamine is a hell of a drug.

The next internecine squabble was over immigration. Trump proudly ran on rounding ’em all up. Mass deportations! Load up the buses! But then it turned out that his rich buddies in Big Ag and Big Hospitality weren’t so keen on losing some of their best employees.

So Trump floated a carve out to protect some “very good, long time workers” in those particular industries.

It even started to look like some exemptions were coming — until his Department of Homeland Security said “no mas.” (The raids will presumably continue until the next time a farmer or hotelier complains to Trump in a meeting.)

But the real fissure involves some prominent America First non-interventionists who thought Trump was elected to end the “forever wars.”

In case you missed it, Israel has been going after Iran’s nuclear capabilities with the same gusto that Trump aide Stephen Miller applies to deporting Guatemalan landscapers, and Trump is all in, calling for an “unconditional surrender” of the Iranian regime.

This didn’t sit well with everyone in the MAGA coalition.

“I think we’re going to see the end of American empire,” warned Tucker Carlson on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast. “But it’s also going to end, I believe, Trump’s presidency — effectively end it — and so that’s why I’m saying this.”

And Carlson (co-founder of the Daily Caller, where I worked) didn’t stop there. “The real divide isn’t between people who support Israel and those who support Iran or the Palestinians,” he tweeted. “It’s between warmongers and peacemakers.”

Then he named names, alleging that Fox’s Sean Hannity, radio firebrand Mark Levin, media titan Rupert Murdoch and billionaire Trump donors Ike Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson were among the warmongers.

Trump hit back, calling Tucker “kooky” and repeating his new mantra: “IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.”

It’s tempting to see this spat as the beginning of a schism — a break that might finally yield a coherent Trump Doctrine, at least, as it pertains to foreign policy (possibly returning the GOP to a more Reaganite or internationalist party). But that misunderstands the nature of Trump and his coalition.

These coalitional disagreements over public policy are real and important. But they mostly exist at the elite level. The actual Trump voter base? They care about only one thing: Donald Trump.

And Trump resists ideological straitjackets.

If Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu rubs him the wrong way next week (as he did by congratulating Joe Biden in 2020), or if Israel’s military campaign starts slipping in the polls, Trump could flip faster than a gymnast on Red Bull.

There is no coherent philosophy. No durable ideology. What we’re watching is a guy making it up as he goes along — often basing decisions on his “gut” or the opinion of the last guy who bent his ear.

So if you’re looking for a Trump Doctrine to explain it all — keep looking. There isn’t one.

There’s only Trump.

Matt K. Lewis is the author of “Filthy Rich Politicians” and “Too Dumb to Fail.”

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