A Sherpa guide whose family had already begun funeral rituals after he vanished on Mount Everest was found alive and crawling toward base camp nearly a week later, surviving alone on the world's highest peak without food, water or supplemental oxygen in what rescuers called "nothing short of a miracle."

Dawa Sherpa, 52, disappeared around May 29 while descending Everest after turning back short of the summit with a Polish climber he was guiding. The client made it safely to base camp, but Dawa had not, triggering fears that he had died on the mountain.

A cleanup crew from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee found him Thursday morning crawling through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall, one of the most dangerous sections of Everest, just above base camp, Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions told The Associated Press.

Rescuers carried him to safety, gave him food and water, and flew him by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu, where his wife and daughter were waiting.

LONE SURVIVOR RESCUED AFTER FATAL FALL KILLS THREE CLIMBERS ON MOUNT MCKINLEY

By that point, his family had already lost hope.

His teenage daughter, Mendo Lhamu Sherpa, told the outlet that relatives were in the middle of funeral rites when news of the rescue broke.

"When we first heard about it (the rescue), we could not be sure if that person was indeed our father," she said. "So to be certain we asked for photos to be sent and then only we were sure and very happy."

His wife, Damu Sherpa, added that the family learned he was alive through local news reports and phone calls from friends.

"We first heard that he was still alive on the local news and from a person we know who called with the news that ... he is being brought down," she said.

RESCUERS FREE CLIMBER TRAPPED BENEATH 16,000-POUND BOULDER ON OREGON'S MOUNT HOOD IN COMPLEX OPERATION

Dawa was still wearing his climbing jacket when rescuers found him. His family said he is being treated for frostbite and other complications but is conscious and able to speak.

"He recognized me … is good and speaks," his daughter told Reuters. "We are happy."

The Nepal Mount Everest hiking company called his survival extraordinary.

"Dawa survived alone for nearly a week without food, water, or supplemental oxygen navigating the treacherous Khumbu Icefall (even after the fixed ladders were removed for the season)," the company said in a social media post. "This is nothing short of a miracle."

It was unclear how Dawa became separated from his client during the descent or why there was a delay in launching a search team when he went missing last week. Helicopters were eventually dispatched but failed to locate him.

His rescue came at the end of a record-breaking Everest climbing season. More than 1,000 climbers and guides reached the summit this year after Nepal issued a record 494 permits.

Officials have said five climbers and guides died on Everest during the season, according to Reuters.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Newly released police bodycam footage is intensifying scrutiny of local police after officers handcuffed an 18-year-old university student who repeatedly told them he had been stabbed and could not breathe moments before dying on a Southampton street.

The video, released Monday following the murder conviction of 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, shows Henry Nowak telling officers, "I’ve been stabbed" and "I can’t breathe" while lying on the ground after the Dec. 3, 2025, attack.

One officer responded: "I don’t think you have, mate," according to the video. 

Police handcuffed Nowak after Digwa claimed he had been the victim of a racist assault, according to court proceedings previously reported by Sky News.

BODYCAM FOOTAGE SHOWS MOMENT FLORIDA OFFICERS' ATTEMPT TO RESTRAIN SUSPECT GOES HORRIBLY WRONG

Reuters reported that officers later removed the handcuffs and attempted CPR after realizing Nowak had suffered serious stab wounds.

Digwa was sentenced Monday to life in prison after being convicted of murdering the 18-year-old University of Southampton finance student with a 21-centimeter blade prosecutors described as a Sikh kirpan-style weapon.

GRIEVING TEXAS FATHER SPEAKS OUT AFTER SON WAS STABBED TO DEATH AT HIGH SCHOOL TRACK MEET

The case has sparked political backlash in Britain and renewed debate over policing, race and knife crime.

In a statement read outside court Monday, Nowak’s father, Mark Nowak, said his son repeatedly pleaded for help before losing consciousness.

"Henry had been stabbed multiple times, and as his chest filled with blood, he tried to escape. He was chased, abused, and filmed by Vickrum Digwa and others," Mark Nowak said, according to Reuters. "When police arrived, Henry was lying on the floor, barely able to sit up and plainly in severe medical distress." 

"With his final words, he told officers that he could not breathe. He told them he had been stabbed," Mark Nowak said, according to Reuters. "The response from one officer was ‘I don’t think you have, mate,’" he added.

Mark Nowak said the family held Digwa "solely and 100% responsible" for their son's death, but criticized the police, saying, "Henry should not have died on the streets of Southampton in police custody. The way he was treated was inhumane and degrading."

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said the case showed "the fear of being called racist was greater than dealing with Henry Nowak’s murder," according to Reuters.

UK POLICE APOLOGIZE TO 'FATHER TED' CREATOR GRAHAM LINEHAN FOR ARREST OVER TRANS SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick also called for the release of body-worn camera footage and accused authorities of prioritizing allegations of racism over saving Nowak’s life during an appearance on GB News.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the killing as "an awful, shocking case" and said it was right that the Independent Office for Police Conduct investigate the police response.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, the police force responsible for policing Southampton and surrounding areas in southern England, previously apologized after the conviction, with Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France saying he was sorry that Nowak had been handcuffed "in the moments before he lost consciousness," according to Sky News.

The police force remains under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary for comment but did not receive a response. 

Reuters contributed to this story.

English police are facing mounting scrutiny after officers handcuffed an 18-year-old university student as he bled to death following a fatal stabbing, allegedly after believing the attacker’s false claim that he had been the victim of a racist assault.

The case has sparked outrage across Britain, fueled political debate over policing and prompted calls for the release of body-worn camera footage from the responding officers.

Alan Mendoza, executive director and co-founder of the London-based Henry Jackson Society think tank, told Fox News Digital that the case reflected broader failures in British policing culture. "The killing of Henry Nowak shows how far the rot of political correctness has set into the British policing mentality," Mendoza said.

"The reflex attitude today appears to be to believe any and every claim that mentions racism," he added. "It clearly trumped actual murder in this case as a dying Mr. Nowak was arrested on the say-so of his Sikh assailant without any facts being established by the officers attending."

BRITISH POLICE RELEASE DETAILS ON SUSPECTS AFTER 'SHOCKING' TRAIN ATTACK, UPDATE ON VICTIMS

Vickrum Digwa, 23, was convicted Thursday at Southampton Crown Court of murdering Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old finance student at the University of Southampton, during a confrontation on Dec. 3, 2025.

Officers arriving at the chaotic scene initially treated Nowak as the suspect after Digwa allegedly claimed he had been racially abused and attacked. Officers handcuffed Nowak before realizing the severity of his injuries. He later collapsed and died at the scene despite attempts to administer first aid, according to Sky News.

Following the verdict, Hampshire Constabulary publicly apologized and referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), England and Wales' police watchdog, for investigation. "I’m sorry that he was handcuffed and arrested in the moments before he lost consciousness," Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France said in a statement reported by Sky News.

Prosecutors told jurors Digwa stabbed Nowak multiple times using a 21-centimeter blade described in court as a Sikh kirpan-style weapon. Digwa claimed he acted in self-defense after being racially abused, but jurors rejected that argument and found him guilty of murder.

The case has since ignited fierce public debate online and in British media over whether police prioritized allegations of racism over basic investigative and medical procedures.

TEXAS PRESS CONFERENCE IN AUSTIN METCALF KILLING DEVOLVES INTO CHAOS OVER TRACK MEET STABBING

Speaking on GB News on Friday, Reform UK Member of Parliament Robert Jenrick called for the release of body-worn camera footage if the Nowak family consents.

"The officers chose to prioritize the accusation of racial abuse over saving the life of this young man," Jenrick said. "I think that was a terrible mistake."

Jenrick also criticized what he described as a muted response from Britain’s political establishment compared to reactions following the 2020 death of George Floyd in the United States.

"The Prime Minister says absolutely nothing. The Home Secretary says absolutely nothing."

The killing has also raised concerns about hostility toward Britain’s Sikh community, which Sikh organizations have sought to distance from the crime.

In a public statement issued following the verdict, Sikh community organizations condemned the killing and stressed that the case should not be viewed as representative of Sikhism.

2 JEWISH MEN STABBED IN LONDON ATTACK CLASSIFIED AS TERRORISM

"Henry’s life has tragically been cut short by a moment of madness by an individual for which there can be no excuses," the statement said.

The organizations also acknowledged that "the actions of police officers who handcuffed the victim just before he died" had intensified criticism of police and "unnecessarily stirred up community hatred."

The statement further emphasized that legal protections allowing Sikhs in Britain to carry ceremonial kirpans for religious purposes do not apply if the blade is used violently.

"We understand in this case the weapon that may have been used was not the normal Kirpan worn by fully practicing Sikhs," the statement read.

Mendoza stressed that Britain’s Sikh community broadly condemned the murder and supported the investigation.

"It’s legal for Sikhs to carry ceremonial knives in the U.K. but they are almost always tiny ones that religious authorities have ordained are sufficient to fulfil the obligation," Mendoza told Fox News Digital. "He had one of those, plus his [8 inch] blade."

He also described Digwa as "a weapons nut," referencing evidence presented during the trial that prosecutors said showed the defendant had a fascination with knives and weapons.

The IOPC investigation into the officers’ actions remains ongoing. Fox News Digital reached out to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

At least 23 people were killed and about 70 others wounded in a major attack Sunday morning after a suicide bomber targeted a passenger train in Pakistan, according to The Associated Press (AP).

The assault — in Quetta, the capital of southwestern Balochistan province — occurred when an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near a railway line as a passenger train passed, causing two train cars to overturn and catch fire. The region has long been the site of a low-level but persistent insurgency involving separatist and militant groups.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a militant separatist group fighting for the province’s secession from Pakistan, reportedly claimed responsibility, saying it was targeting a train carrying security personnel.

The Times of India reported that the train was carrying army personnel and family members traveling from Quetta to Peshawar for the Eid holidays; AP reported more generally that the BLA said it targeted a train carrying security personnel. The area is also known for having a strong security presence.

SUICIDE CAR BOMBER ATTACKS SCHOOL BUS IN PAKISTAN, KILLING AT LEAST 5 PEOPLE

The blast reportedly sent shockwaves through the area.

According to witness accounts and images circulating on social media, the force of the explosion caused two train cars to overturn and burst into flames, sending thick black smoke into the sky, The AP said. Nearby buildings were also heavily damaged, and more than a dozen parked vehicles were impacted, the outlet added.

Several victims were reportedly transported to local hospitals. Among the wounded, about 20 were reported to be in critical condition, according to doctors cited by The AP.

PHOTOS CAPTURE DEVASTATION AFTER CHILE TRUCK EXPLOSION KILLS AT LEAST 4, DAMAGES AT LEAST 50 VEHICLES

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, calling it a "cowardly act of terrorism" and saying that those responsible would be brought to justice.

"I strongly condemn the heinous bomb explosion near Chaman Phatak, Quetta, which has resulted in the tragic loss of innocent lives and left many others injured. Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan. We remain steadfast in our determination to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," he said.

"I express my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and pray for the swift recovery of the injured. The entire nation stands in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in this hour of grief."

INDIA VOWS TO HUNT TERRORISTS ‘TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH’ AS TENSIONS WITH PAKISTAN RISE AFTER KASHMIR ATTACK

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti alleged that the group is supported by Indian-sponsored proxies aimed at destabilizing Pakistan. The two countries have long been locked in a bitter dispute over territorial claims in Kashmir, though India has consistently denied such accusations.

"The terrorists of Fitna Al-Hindustan are proving their savagery by targeting innocent civilians, women, and children," Bugti said, describing the group as "evil originating from India."

"Those who shed the blood of innocent people deserve no leniency. Let the enemy hear this: there will be no safe haven left for terrorists in Balochistan. We will hunt down the terrorists, their facilitators, and their masterminds one by one and bring them to justice, and this war will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated."

The BLA has increasingly carried out large-scale suicide operations targeting Pakistani security forces and infrastructure in Quetta, according to The Times of India.

In 2024, at least 26 people, including soldiers, were killed in a suicide bombing at a train station in Balochistan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Three sisters whose bodies were recovered from the sea near Brighton beach last week have been formally identified as police continue investigating the circumstances surrounding their deaths and their grieving father shares an emotional tribute to his daughters.

Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, all from the Uxbridge area of London, were found in the water near Black Rock car park early Wednesday morning, Sussex Police said.

The tragedy has shocked communities in Brighton and London, with the sisters’ grieving father releasing an emotional tribute describing his daughters as "unique and precious."

"Today, with a heart full of sorrow and love, I pay tribute to my beloved daughters — Jane, Christina, and Becky — whose lives ended so tragically far too soon," their father Joseph said in a statement.

YOUNG AMERICAN TOURISTS' CAUSE OF DEATH REVEALED AFTER THEY WERE FOUND 'MOTIONLESS' AT BEACH RESORT

"No words can truly describe the pain of losing three daughters in the prime of their lives. Jane, Christina, and Becky were more than daughters to me; they were my joy, my strength, and the beautiful light that filled our family with happiness and love," he added.

Authorities say there is currently no evidence of criminality or third-party involvement, but detectives are continuing extensive inquiries to understand how the women came to be in the water.

Specialist detectives are reviewing hundreds of hours of CCTV footage and tracing the women’s final movements between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

YOUNG AMERICAN TOURISTS FOUND DEAD AT CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT; AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATING

Police urged anyone who saw the sisters near Madeira Drive between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 5:30 a.m. Wednesday to come forward.

Chief Superintendent Adam Hays said investigators would "leave no stone unturned" as authorities work to determine what led to the deaths of the three sisters.

"I know this incident has had a profound impact on the local community in Brighton, and across the country, and I’d like to reassure the public we will leave no stone unturned in our investigation to understand exactly what led to the tragic events of that Wednesday morning," Hays said in a statement.

FAMILIES OF 3 MASSACHUSETTS WOMEN WHO DIED AT BELIZE RESORT FILE $100M LAWSUIT AGAINST HOTEL, EXPEDIA: REPORT

The Superintendent urged privacy for the Walters family in this "terrible tragedy" as the investigation unfolds.

"This investigation will continue in earnest, with Jane, Christina and Rebecca’s family at its center. I would ask that they are given the privacy to come to terms with this terrible tragedy," Hays added.

The sisters' father, Joseph, closed his message in dedication to the spirits of his three daughters:

"Though you are no longer here beside us, your spirits live on in our hearts every day. Love like yours never dies. You will forever remain a part of our lives, our prayers, and our memories," Joseph said.

Buckingham Palace said King Charles III was "shocked and saddened" to find out a British soldier died after a fall at a horse show the royal was attending this week.

The soldier died during a display of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery at the Royal Windsor Horse Show on Friday evening.

The unidentified soldier fell after leaving the arena following the display, and despite being treated, their injuries were serious, and they died at the scene, the Thames Valley Police said in a release.

The police said the horse show would continue as planned on Saturday but without another display of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery.

PRINCESS ANNE ADMITS HOSPITAL STAFF HAD TO FILL IN 'THE BLANKS’ AFTER SUFFERING CONCUSSION, MEMORY LOSS

Charles attended the horse show, which is on the grounds of Windsor Castle, along with his younger brother Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, and his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, their daughter Lady Louise, who was working at the show, and the king's sister Princess Anne.

Following the soldier's death, the king met with members of the King’s Troop at the horse show after returning on Saturday.

QUEEN CAMILLA ONCE BELIEVED KATE MIDDLETON WAS 'TOO COMMON' TO MARRY A FUTURE KING, AUTHOR CLAIMS

"While His Majesty and other members of the royal family were present at the arena at the time the incident took place, they were not made aware of the severity of the situation until later," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, according to the London Times.

The spokesperson added, "The King was greatly shocked and saddened to have learned subsequently of the troop member’s death and will be in touch with the family to share his personal condolences. The thoughts and most heartfelt sympathies of the whole royal family are with the victim’s loved ones and military colleagues at this time of grief."

Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s after-hours request for comment.

The annual horse show is the only time the private grounds of Windsor Castle are open to the public.

On Saturday morning, the police appealed to the public for any information about the "unexplained but non-suspicious death" of the soldier.

"At this stage, we have not found any suspicious circumstances," police said in a post on Facebook. "We are working with the British Army, Ministry of Defence, the Defence Accident Investigation Branch and Royal Windsor Horse Show organisers HPower to gather as much information as possible to understand how this happened."

LONDON: The United Kingdom announced Tuesday it will be deploying military assets "as part of a future defensive mission to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz."

While the move can be seen as a positive step in repairing relations with the U.S., Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reluctance to join the U.S. in "Operation Epic Fury" against Iran has still ruffled feathers in Washington — most notably those of President Donald Trump.

Trump has dismissed Starmer as "no Churchill." In a recent interview with Sky News, the president further complained about the lack of British alignment: "When we asked them for help, they were not there. When we needed them, they were not there... And they still aren't there."

TRUMP SLAMS STARMER AS ‘NOT WINSTON CHURCHILL’ FOR REFUSAL TO BACK IRAN STRIKES

Trump also took aim at the British Navy’s readiness in March, ridiculing the fleet during a White House meeting. 

"We had the U.K. say that, 'We'll send'— this is three weeks ago — 'we'll send our aircraft carriers,' which aren't the best aircraft carriers, by the way," Trump said, according to Sky News. "They're toys compared to what we have."

Two recent reports by a leading military expert and a parliamentary committee may, in part, explain why the U.K. didn’t join the war in an offensive measure.

In a report titled, "Iran War Delivers a Tough Lesson in Hard Power to the U.K.," Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), wrote, "The outbreak of a new war in the Middle East has led to questions about the U.K.'s relevance in international affairs. Alongside debates about legality and politics, there are some hard truths about military power and the reality of the readiness of the U.K.'s armed forces."

While the report was written with the war still raging on, Savill stated, "Pressure is growing for the deployment of more U.K. forces to the region and direct involvement in strikes, but the government will need to answer difficult questions about prioritization and the effect that it might be trying to achieve. The consequence is that as much as intent and policy drive U.K. involvement, the practical realities will constrain what the U.K. can do."

Savill added, "On the defensive side, the U.K. has not been idle... [U.K. assets] which also appear to have included some counter-drone units – have been involved in downing Iranian drones while defending Jordan and Iraq."

UK DEPLOYING WARSHIP, HELICOPTERS TO CYPRUS AFTER DRONE STRIKE

Savill wrote that "The challenge for the U.K. is that in the past few years, the commitments and visible presence of U.K. Armed Forces in the region have been shrinking, as a result of the pressure on the military, and a conscious decision to prioritize elsewhere, most recently in the ‘NATO First’ approach of the Strategic Defense Review of 2025."

While the Starmer government has committed to increasing defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, experts warn that this investment may be too late to restore the U.K.’s ability to project power globally in the near term.

John Hemmings, director of the National Security Center at Henry Jackson, told Fox News, "The U.K.’s military capabilities have been systematically underfunded over the past 15 years, with the Spending Review and cuts starting in 2009 and 2010 under Prime Minister David Cameron. The Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR) at the time stated that the world was headed in a much more dangerous state, but the fiscal devastation of the 2008 Financial Crisis pushed the Government into a series of cuts that were intended to be short-term. Instead, the Cameron Government sent the U.K.’s armed services into a spiral of terminal decline that has lasted until this day," he said.

TRUMP PRAISED FOR GETTING NATO ALLIES TO BOLSTER DEFENSE SPENDING: 'REALLY STAGGERING'

Hemmings added, "Consider the Royal Navy, the U.K.’s premier service and source of great power reach; only 25 out of 63 commissioned vessels are actual fighting ships. This force size is impossible to service Britain’s overseas responsibilities and has seen cuts of 50% in only 30 years. In 1996, there were 22 frigates, 17 submarines, 15 destroyers, and 3 aircraft carriers. Today’s First Sea Lord must attempt to carry out the same duties with seven frigates, 10 submarines, six destroyers, two aircraft carriers. In addition, the U.K. underfunded new capabilities like domestic air and missile defenses and advanced command and control systems."

A second report released last month, by the House of Lords International Relations and Defense Committee titled: ‘Adjusting to new realities: rebalancing the U.K.-U.S. partnership,' presents several key recommendations where it warned of the over-dependence on the U.S. "Although the U.K. has benefited from closely collaborating with the U.S. on defense, this has fostered a dependency culture leading to a decline in U.K. capabilities and loss of U.K. credibility in Washington. The Government should provide a clear and costed pathway to achieving the commitment to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP."

While the Ministry of Defense did not respond to several requests for comment over the state of forces, Fox News Digital recently reported that the U.K. government said it is reversing an attrition rate in the military, stating that total armed forces strength stood at 182,050 personnel as of Jan. 1, 2026, including 136,960 regular troops, an increase from the previous year.

The government has also pledged what it calls the largest sustained rise in defense spending since the Cold War, with military spending set to reach 2.6% of GDP by 2027, backed by an additional £5 billion (approximately $6.6 billion) this financial year and £270 billion (nearly $360 billion) in defense investment over the course of the current parliament. Britain has also said it aims to raise defense spending to 3% of GDP by the end of the next parliament.

Analysts say while some in the Trump administration see the U.K.’s absence as a betrayal of the special relationship, others may say it is a tough lesson in the limitations of a mid-sized power that has tried to maintain a global footprint on a shrinking budget.

A ship was seized off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday morning, the British military reported.

The ship was boarded and "taken by unauthorized personnel" while it was roughly 38 nautical miles northeast of the United Arab Emirates’ oil export terminal Fujairah, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported Thursday.

UKMTO spotted the ship heading toward Iranian territorial waters after the seizure, it reported Thursday.

British authorities did not release information on who the ship belonged to or who seized it. Despite the lack of official corroboration, the BBC reported that the Honduras-flagged Hui Chuan was seized in the Strait on Thursday.

CARGO SHIP ATTACKED BY SMALL CRAFT NEAR STRAIT OF HORMUZ, UK MARITIME AGENCY SAYS

Citing the risk-management company Vanguard, the BBC reported that the ship's operators told Vanguard that the Hui Chuan was operating as a "floating armory" for ships in the Strait to defend themselves from pirates.

At least two other ships have already been seized in the Strait of Hormuz since February.

IRAN SAYS ITS SMALL SUBS DEPLOYED TO STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS EXPERT EXPLAINS THREAT: ‘VULNERABLE TO DETECTION’

In April, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized the Panamanian-flagged MSC Francesca and the Epaminondes ships in the Strait.

Fox News Digital contacted UKMTO and Vanguard for further information but did not immediately receive a response.

Pakistan rejected reports Tuesday that it allowed Iranian aircraft to use its airfields amid tensions with the United States—claims suggesting the move could have shielded the planes from potential airstrikes—even as Islamabad positioned itself as a high-profile mediator between the two sides.

According to the report May 11, Tehran was also said to have possibly sent a civilian aircraft to Afghanistan during the conflict. 

Pakistan said Tuesday the CBS report was "misleading and sensationalized. Such speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

"Following the ceasefire and during the initial round of the Islamabad Talks, a number of aircraft from Iran and the United States arrived in Pakistan to facilitate the movement of diplomatic personnel, security teams, and administrative staff associated with the talks process," the ministry said before clarifying that "some aircraft and support personnel remained temporarily in Pakistan in anticipation of subsequent rounds of engagement."

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The alleged Iranian asset movements had also suggested there was an effort by Iran to conceal some of its remaining aerial assets as Pakistan worked behind the scenes to broker a ceasefire between Iran and the United States.

President Donald Trump also confirmed Tuesday he was satisfied with the mediation work carried out by Pakistan, telling reporters ahead of his trip to China that they were "great."

"I think the Pakistanis have been great. The field marshal and the prime minister of Pakistan have been absolutely great," Trump clarified.

In April, Pakistan had emerged as a key mediator in efforts to de-escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran amid the Strait of Hormuz crisis and the regional conflict.

Islamabad hosted senior delegations for talks on April 11–12 after helping secure a temporary two-week ceasefire.

IRAN COVERTLY REPOSITIONS STRIKE DRONES AMID RUSSIA DRILLS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ, EXPERT SAYS

Pakistan’s position was unique, given its geographic proximity to Iran and its longstanding strategic partnership with the United States. 

Mediation efforts were led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

Officials told CBS that, days after Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in early April, Tehran sent multiple aircraft to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan.

Nur Khan Airbase, located near Rawalpindi, is said to be a key installation of the Pakistan Air Force and serves as a major logistical and operational hub. 

Among the aircraft reportedly moved there was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, the outlet said.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES 'PROJECT FREEDOM,' IRAN THREATENS ATTACKS, PAKISTAN ANNOUNCES US RELEASE OF SEIZED CARGO SHIP

Despite initial progress between the U.S. and Iran, talks in Islamabad on April 11 ultimately collapsed. 

However, Pakistani leadership said it felt optimistic. "We are very optimistic that the current momentum will lead to a lasting agreement," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said.

Trump also praised Pakistan’s mediating role again, stating on May 7, "Pakistan has been fantastic. And its leaders have been fantastic—the marshal and the prime minister."

As part of the next response, Trump also launched "Project Freedom" to guide vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and to help free up shipping.

Trump's initiative to help thousands of stranded crew lasted 48 hours, with the president later acknowledging that it was halted "at the request of Pakistan and other countries," including Saudi Arabia, to avoid jeopardizing ongoing negotiations with Iran.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. said Monday that if Pakistan did shelter Iranian aircraft during mediation then it would force a complete reassessment of Pakistan’s role.

"If this reporting is accurate, it would require a complete reevaluation of the role Pakistan is playing as mediator between Iran, the United States and other parties. Given some of the prior statements by Pakistani defense officials towards Israel, I would not be shocked if this were true," Graham said in a post shared on X.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Government of Pakistan, The White House and U.S. Central Command for comment.

U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was battling to save his position Monday, refusing to step aside despite mounting pressure from within his own party and a wave of resignations among close aides.

Resignation calls intensified after more than 70 Labor MPs publicly urged the Labor leader to quit, while several parliamentary aides stepped down in protest, according to reports.

The growing rebellion comes at a critical moment for Starmer, whose authority has been shaken by political and economic setbacks.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, the immediate trigger was the crushing defeats in local election results on May 8, which saw Labor lose hundreds of council seats across England, surrender long-held ground in Wales and fall behind rivals in Scotland.

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A recent YouGov poll also found that around half of Britons believe Starmer should step down.

At the same time, rising U.K. borrowing costs have added to concerns about the government’s economic and public service policies and not easing living costs.

Starmer was also hurt by his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington, the Associated Press reported.

In Scotland, Labor's difficulties were laid bare as John Swinney secured a decisive victory, dealing a further blow to Starmer’s authority.

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The result drew attention from President Donald Trump, who publicly congratulated Swinney and appeared to take a swipe at Starmer.

Trump and Starmer’s relationship had become strained, with the president saying, "This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with," blasting the U.K. leader’s reluctance to let U.S. warplanes use its bases after the start of the war against Iran.

Meanwhile, Starmer struck a defiant tone in what has been termed a "reset" speech on Monday, insisting he would not resign.

"I take responsibility for not walking away, not plunging our country into chaos, as the Tories did," he said.

Sam Carlin, one of the MPs calling for change, said Starmer was "not the right person" to revive the struggling party.

"As a result, I join Labor colleagues from across the United Kingdom in urging the prime minister to step down for the sake of our movement and the people we serve," he said.

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"We have made so much progress, but if we remain on our current course, it will not last."

Former minister Catherine West led efforts to formalize the challenge, calling for a timetable to elect a new leader as early as September.

Three figures are seen as frontrunners to succeed Starmer.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham would need to return to Parliament to mount a bid, while Angela Rayner continues to contend with the fallout from past tax issues.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is viewed as a more immediate contender.

Under Labor rules, a leadership contest can be triggered if sufficient backing coalesces behind a challenger, typically through nominations from MPs and affiliated groups.

If Starmer were to resign, the party would move into a formal contest period, culminating in a vote among members.

Thousands rallied in London Sunday, alarmed by the massive increase in violent attacks against the country's Jewish population. Marchers made clear their anger towards the British government's inaction.

Speaking a few days before the rally, U.K. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch told Fox News Digital, "Zero tolerance for antisemitism means treating this epidemic of violence as a genuine national emergency." Badenoch has called for stronger enforcement, including deporting foreign preachers who are spreading hate in mosques and other institutions. "Antisemites will not be welcomed or tolerated. Britain has been a haven for Jews for centuries. It must remain so."

Her warning comes as the United Kingdom raised its national terrorism threat level to "severe," the second-highest classification, meaning an attack is considered highly likely. The move reflects what security officials describe as a worsening threat environment amid a spike in antisemitic incidents, arson attacks and targeted violence.

EVEN BEFORE GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL HATE CHANTS, UK JEWS WARNED OF ALARMING RISE IN ANTISEMITISM

"There’s an unholy alliance of the hard Left and Islamist extremists behind some of the spread of antisemitism," Badenoch warned. "What do people think chants such as ‘from the river to the sea’ or ‘globalize the intifada’ mean if they do not mean the erasure of the world’s only Jewish state and violence against Jews everywhere?"

British security officials have long noted that Islamist extremism remains one of the United Kingdom’s primary terror threats, with MI5 warning that radicalization networks and extremist ideology continue to pose serious risks.

Jewish leaders and analysts say expressions of support for terrorist groups such as Hamas, combined with public glorification of violence, have contributed to an environment in which anti-Jewish hostility is becoming increasingly normalized.

Despite mounting criticism over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s handling of antisemitism as incidents continue to reach new highs across the U.K., Starmer, speaking at the No10 Tackling Antisemitism Forum last week, said: "Our Jewish communities [are] feeling frightened, angry and asking whether this country, their home, is safe for them." 

He added: "In recent months, as antisemitic incidents have risen, we have acted decisively to strengthen the safety of Jewish communities," announcing an additional £25 million in funding for increased patrols and enhanced security to prevent serious harm before it occurs." Despite those assurances, critics say the response is still falling short, warning that Jewish communities remain exposed and the situation is continuing to escalate.

Jonathan Sacerdoti, a London-based commentator and writer, told Fox News Digital that authorities have demonstrated the ability to deploy large scale policing when necessary, but many Jewish residents are questioning whether that same urgency is being applied to protecting them.

"Considering they’re able to police massive anti-Israel protests every two weeks for the last two and a half years," Sacerdoti said, "they ought to be able to do the same to protect Jews."

He added that security funding alone cannot solve what he sees as a deeper problem.

ANTISEMITISM IS BECOMING 'NORMAL,' WITH JEWISH TEENS PAYING THE PRICE

"Jews should not need a volunteer security organization," he said. "The state should protect us itself."

For many Jewish families across the United Kingdom, the impact is no longer abstract. It is being felt in everyday life.

Rabbi Albert Chait, senior rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation in Leeds, said one of the most troubling signs is how normalized constant security has become for Jewish children.

"You know what the worst thing is, in my opinion?" Chait said. "The fact that my children do not ask why there is police outside their school. They do not question why there is paid security on the gate and on the street. They do not even question it because that is just normal day to day activity."

ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE ESCALATES AS DEADLY WEAPON ATTACKS SURGE IN 2025: REPORT

According to the Community Security Trust, antisemitic incidents in Britain reached approximately 3,700 in 2025, among the highest totals on record, prompting increased funding for security at synagogues, schools and Jewish institutions.

As Britain confronts what many are increasingly describing as a national crisis, similar warning signs are becoming more visible in the United States.

This past week in Queens, New York, multiple Jewish homes, a synagogue and a Jewish community center housing a preschool were vandalized with swastikas and antisemitic graffiti, raising alarm among residents.

From swastikas scrawled in school bathrooms and subway stations to antisemitic graffiti targeting synagogues and Jewish institutions, symbols of hate are appearing with growing visibility in everyday American life.

"One of the sites houses a pre-K program, where young children, their families and staff were greeted with swastikas and other hateful vandalism," Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York told Jewish Insider. "This is not normal, and we need city leaders to act now."

For many observers, the parallels are difficult to ignore.

What Britain is experiencing, rising antisemitic violence, normalized hostility, and ongoing debates over ideology and enforcement, is no longer confined overseas.

It is increasingly being reflected in American communities.

And as the crisis unfolds, Badenoch’s warning carries implications far beyond the United Kingdom.

"I have never seen the level of racism, discrimination, intimidation and attacks that have been directed at the Jewish community," she said. "If other minority communities were facing similar levels of violence, there would be a national emergency."

North Korea has updated its constitution to require a retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated, according to a report.

The Telegraph reported the change comes amid heightened global tensions following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials during a recent conflict.

Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran as part of a coordinated U.S.-Israeli military operation earlier this year, Fox News Digital previously reported.

The constitutional revision was approved during a session of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, which opened March 22 in Pyongyang, the outlet said.

ISRAEL TARGETS IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER IN SWEEPING STRIKES AS US JOINS ‘OPERATION EPIC FURY’

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) briefed senior government officials this week on the update, according to the report.

The revised policy outlines procedures for retaliatory action if North Korea’s leadership is incapacitated or killed.

"If the command-and-control system over the state’s nuclear forces is placed in danger by hostile forces’ attacks … a nuclear strike shall be launched automatically and immediately," the updated provision states.

KIM JONG UN CALLS SOUTH KOREA ‘MOST HOSTILE ENEMY,’ SAYS NORTH COULD ‘COMPLETELY DESTROY’ IT

Reuters previously reported that North Korea revised its constitution to define its territory as bordering South Korea and remove references to reunification, reflecting Kim’s push to formally treat the two Koreas as separate states.

That marked the first time North Korea included a territorial clause in its constitution.

Last month, Kim pledged to further strengthen the country’s nuclear capabilities while maintaining a hard-line stance toward South Korea, which he has called the "most hostile" state.

Kim has also accused the United States of "state terrorism and aggression," and signaled North Korea could take a more active role in opposition to Washington amid rising global tensions.

Fox News Digital's Alex Nitzberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A 39-year-old man pleaded not guilty on Friday to threatening former Prince Andrew near his new home on the royal family’s Sandringham estate.

Alex Jenkinson, 39, is accused of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior toward the former prince, whose royal titles were removed last year by King Charles III due to his connections to Jeffrey Epstein.

Jenkinson, who faces two counts, is accused of threatening Andrew on Wednesday and another man on Tuesday.

The former Duke of York is also expected to give evidence in the trial, which is set for July 29 at the Westminster Magistrates' Court.

EX-PRINCE ANDREW LEAVES ROYAL MANSION ‘IN DEAD OF NIGHT’ AFTER COMPROMISING EPSTEIN PHOTOS SURFACE: EXPERT

Andrew was allegedly yelled at by a masked man while walking his dogs near his home, the Daily Telegraph reported.

"Officers attended, and the man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and possession of an offensive weapon," the police statement said.

The incident comes three months after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he is now known, was arrested, himself, on suspicion of misconduct in public office connected to his Epstein ties and his time as the U.K. trade envoy.

Andrew moved to Sandringham earlier this year after he was asked to vacate his home at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.

PRINCE ANDREW ACCUSER VIRGINIA GIUFFRE’S DEATH CEMENTS ROYAL’S RUIN, DEEPENS EPSTEIN’S ‘EVIL’ LEGACY: EXPERTS

Virginia Giuffre, Andrew’s main accuser, claimed that she was forced to have sex with the royal three times starting when she was 17 years old.

PRINCE WILLIAM SEES DISGRACED ANDREW AS 'A TROUBLED SOUL' BUT EPSTEIN FALLOUT LEAVES 'NO COMING BACK': AUTHOR

Andrew has denied all of the accusations against him, but settled with Giuffre in 2022 over her civil sexual assault lawsuit. She later died of suicide in 2025.

Jenkinson appeared in court remotely from King's Lynn Police Investigation Centre in Norfolk on Friday with his arm in a sling.

He did plead guilty to failing to provide specimen of blood while in custody.

Jenkinson was released on bail on the condition that he doesn’t enter the county of Norfolk, attempt any contact with Andrew, and he must stay 500 meters away from Sandringham, Buckingham Palace, Balmoral Castle, Windsor Castle and Highgrove.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer could face a leadership challenge as soon as next week after his Labour Party suffered major losses in Thursday’s local elections.

Labour MP Catherine West told the BBC that if a Cabinet minister does not challenge Starmer by Monday, she will trigger a leadership contest herself.

West said she was putting the Cabinet "on notice."

"I’m putting people on notice — if I don’t hear by Monday morning of some leadership hopefuls, I will be asking everybody in the Parliamentary Labour Party to put a name against my name, because we need to get this ball rolling," she told the outlet.

TRUMP ‘RIGHT TO BE OUTRAGED’ BY EUROPE’S BETRAYAL ON IRAN, SAYS FORMER THATCHER ADVISOR

"But my preferred option is for the Cabinet to do a reshuffle within itself, where there’s plenty of talent and for Keir to be given a different role, which he might enjoy, perhaps an international role, and then for others to come to the fore, who can communicate the message, who are very able, so we can have minimum fuss," she continued.

West, a former junior Foreign Office minister, would need support from 20% of Labour MPs — or 81 members — to trigger a contest.

She said about 10 MPs are backing her effort and expressed confidence more would join, according to the report.

200,000 SMALL BOAT ARRIVALS LOOM AMID UK RAISING THREAT LEVEL TO ‘SEVERE’ FOLLOWING RECENT TERROR ATTACK

Labour suffered roughly 1,400 losses across the U.K. in this week’s elections, with Reform UK making significant gains, according to GB News.

Starmer accepted responsibility for the losses but resisted calls to resign, saying he was "not going to walk away and plunge the country into chaos."

Still, he has not explicitly ruled out a managed exit and is expected to address the situation on Monday.

ONLYFANS MODEL INTERRUPTS PLAY AT WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP IN BRITAIN

As of late Friday, 22 Labour MPs had publicly called for the prime minister to step down or set a timeline for his exit, the BBC reported.

West did not name a preferred replacement.

"I don't have a candidate," she said. "That's part of the problem."

"But I think there are several people who would like to do it, who have been planning for months, but I'm very surprised that none of them has popped up today to say 'I will do it'," she added.

Fox News Digital’s Robert Schmad contributed to this report.

Three people are dead and five others were injured Friday when Mount Dukono erupted on a remote Indonesian island, where the hikers were in a restricted area, authorities said.

About 20 climbers set out Thursday to climb the nearly 1,355-meter (4,445-foot) volcano in Halmahera, Indonesia, despite safety restrictions, North Halmahera Police Chief Erlichson Pasaribu said.

"They were aware that climbing was prohibited as the mountain is a restricted zone due to its high alert status but insisted on going ahead," Pasaribu said.

Despite warnings on social media and signs at the site, "many people remain determined to climb, driven by the desire to create online content," Pasaribu said.

'RECKLESS’ TOURISTS ON ISLAND HOT SPOT COULD BE SLAPPED WITH FINES FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES USE

Pasaribu said three people, including one local resident and two Singaporeans, were killed in the eruption. The Indonesian victim was from Ternate, which is in the same province as Mount Dukono.

The three victims' bodies remain on the volcano, with ongoing eruptions and difficult terrain preventing them from being evacuated by rescue teams, Pasaribu said.

The group became stranded when the volcano erupted at 7:41 a.m., sending a column of ash over 6 miles into the sky.

STUNNING PHOTOS CAPTURE MOMENT ONE OF INDONESIA'S MOST ACTIVE VOLCANOES ERUPTS

Rescue teams were deployed after receiving an emergency signal from the mountain area.

As of Friday afternoon, 17 climbers had been safely evacuated, including seven Singaporean nationals and two Indonesians who joined the rescue operation and provided information on the climbing routes of the victims before the eruption, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.

Five of those evacuated were reported injured.

MORE THAN 20 'ILL-PREPARED' HYPOTHERMIC HIKERS RESCUED FROM SNOWY CONDITIONS ON NEW ENGLAND'S HIGHEST PEAK

Pasaribu said police will question those who joined the hikers up the mountain. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Indonesian National Police for additional information.

According to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, Mount Dukono has been continuously erupting since 1933.

"Friday’s eruption was among the strongest during this period," said Lana Saria, who heads Indonesia’s Geology Agency at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

As President Donald Trump continues to express anger at NATO European allies for their lack of help in the war with Iran, he’s making clear their behavior comes at a cost.

In the weeks during the war and since the ceasefire, the president has hit back not just with words but with definitive actions against several of those countries.

On Saturday, Trump said that he would withdraw more than the initial 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany as stated by the Pentagon, after Berlin’s leader denigrated the American effort to stop Iran’s regime from building a nuclear weapon.

TRUMP WEIGHS PULLING US TROOPS FROM GERMANY AMID CLASH WITH CHANCELLOR OVER IRAN WAR

A day earlier he said about Germany that "We're gonna cut way down. We're cutting a lot further than 5,000." The Trump administration previously announced a contraction of 5,000 troops in Germany after the country’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iran’s regime "humiliated" Trump.

In an apparent state of panic, Merz walked back his attack on Trump and his Iran strategy on Sunday. The chancellor wrote on X: "The United States is and will remain Germany‘s most important partner in the North Atlantic Alliance. We share a common goal: Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons."

Trump ratcheted up his troop reduction number against Germany amid his comments about downsizing U.S. boots on the ground in Spain and Italy because they failed to aid America in the war against Iran. The president’s anger at Western European countries has been simmering for weeks and could lead to profound changes in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

TRUMP CRITICIZES SPAIN AMID IRAN, NATO RIFT AS PM SANCHEZ FACES QUESTIONS OVER POLITICAL MOTIVES

Nile Gardiner, the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital, "The lack of support for the United States has been nothing less than treacherous. I think the president has the right to be outraged by the lack of support from key European allies."

He said, "There is a very deep-seated cultural appeasement in Europe toward the Iranian regime that goes back many decades, and a flat-out refusal to accept the reality of the immense dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran. European leaders are sleepwalking toward destruction with this perilous path they have taken.

TRUMP IS RIGHT ABOUT NATO’S WEAKNESS — THE REAL QUESTION IS HOW DOES AMERICA FIX IT

"The lack of support for the United States is how far Europe has gone toward losing its moral compass. Iran is a genocidal regime that threatens to wipe Israel off the map." He noted that the Islamic Republic has killed huge numbers of its population.

Gardiner, a former advisor to Lady Margaret Thatcher said, "If you listen to European leaders, it's as if the U.S. is the villain here."

Merz, speaking last week in Marsberg, criticized the U.S. approach to Iran, saying Washington was being "humiliated by the Iranian leadership" and expressing hope the conflict would end "as quickly as possible."

Gardiner said of Merz’s remarks, "Comments like these actually help the propaganda of the Iranian dictatorship. It is astonishing that a German chancellor would make these kinds of remarks at a time of war… and the German chancellor is giving comfort to the Iranian regime. It is disgusting."

Numerous Fox News Digital press queries sent to Merz’s spokesman Stefan Kornelius were not returned.

Before his announcement on the troop withdrawal from Germany, and in response to a question about reducing U.S. troops in Spain and Italy, Trump responded, "I mean, they haven't been exactly on board. Yeah, probably. Yeah, I probably will… Italy has not been of any help to us. And Spain has been horrible. Absolutely horrible."

Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has taken a belligerent stand toward the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against the Iranian regime, forbidding the U.S. from using its military bases in Spain to refuel aircraft or prepare for military action. He has decried the campaign as illegal while staying quiet on the regime’s murder of thousands of protesters and its increased drive to produce ballistic missiles and acquire nuclear weapons-grade enriched uranium.

Gardiner said, "The Spanish have been the worst by a long way. At least the Germans and Italy have allowed the use of its own bases. The Spanish have refused to cooperate in any way with the war."

Trump told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera last month about the country's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni,  "I'm shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong."

The Europe expert, Gardiner, sees a wide gulf between how mainly Western European countries and the United States view the preservation of Western civilization, freedom, democracy and liberty.

"Europe has lost both its ability and its will to fight. The United States is clearly willing to fight to defend Western civilization and the free world. Much of Europe has given up on this, especially Western Europe. It is an appeasement mindset cojoined with weakness and pacifism and also a growing acceptance by European leaders of mass migration and Islamification."

He added, "Europe has fundamentally changed over the last 20 years beyond recognition, and yet Europe’s ruling elites accept it seemingly as a fact, with some notable exceptions."

Trump took the United Kingdom and France in March to task for their postion on the war against Iran.

"The Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran,’ who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!," he wrote.

Trump also wrote, "All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you."

"Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT."

"You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!"

Gardiner said the crisis over the Iran war shows that Europe has surrendered. The big Western Europeans have embraced "defeatism," and "they do not care. It is as simple as that. And future generations will have to pay the price for the course Europe is taking now," he said.

Fox News' Brittany Miller and Solly Boussidan contributed to this report.

As the United Kingdom raised its national terror threat level to "severe," meaning an attack is considered "highly likely," security experts are warning that Britain’s separate illegal migration crisis is adding to broader concerns over border control and vetting, with small boat crossings now nearing 200,000 arrivals since 2018.

The U.K.’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Center raised the national threat level from "substantial" to "severe" last week following a stabbing attack in Golders Green in North London, warning that the broader Islamist and extreme right-wing terror threat in Britain has been increasing "for some time."

At the same time, official figures cited by GB News and The Sun show small boat arrivals across the English Channel are approaching the 200,000 mark, intensifying political debate over illegal immigration, deportations and national security.

UK TO TIGHTEN IMMIGRATION RULES OVER VOTER FRUSTRATION WITH HIGH IMMIGRATION NUMBERS: 'FAILED EXPERIMENT'

Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK Party, said in a Facebook video Tuesday that "most of them are unidentified, young males of fighting age" and warned the crossings pose "a risk not only to women and girls in this country but a risk to our national security."

Security analysts say the combination of elevated terror concerns and mass illegal migration is adding pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government to demonstrate greater control over Britain’s borders.

"Channel migrants pose a potential security threat," Dr. Michael McManus, director of research at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital.

"Minimal vetting of the migrants means we have no way to know who is really coming to the country. The vast majority are combat-aged males from war zones and regions associated with terrorism."

McManus added that "the current government is failing to read the mood in the country, which overwhelmingly wants action to deter and deport those who pose a threat."

"So long as the immigration system fails to deter crossings, and the system makes deportation almost impossible, we will only see more," he said.

According to The Sun, 7,612 migrants have been deported or removed since the crisis began, representing less than 4% of total arrivals.

The debate intensified this week after British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outlined plans to expand "safe and legal" refugee pathways once the government regains greater control over the asylum system, according to GB News reporting.

FARAGE SLAMS SECRET AFGHAN REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT TO UK, CLAIMS SEX OFFENDERS AMONG ARRIVALS

Speaking to GB News, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden defended the government’s broader migration policy and said Mahmood was doing a "very good job."

"We want to make sure that it’s a level that is good for the economy, that can be absorbed by the country, and that is done under proper rules," McFadden said.

The Home Office has argued the government is increasing enforcement efforts against trafficking gangs and strengthening cooperation with France. A Home Office spokesperson said that the government had signed a "landmark new deal" with France aimed at boosting enforcement operations on beaches and disrupting smuggling routes.

The crossings themselves remain dangerous. Over the weekend, two Sudanese women reportedly died attempting to cross the Channel after a boat carrying dozens of migrants encountered problems off the French coast, according to British media reports.

According to the Refugee Council, many of those arriving by small boat originate from countries experiencing war, persecution or political instability, including Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea, Iran and Sudan. The group says the vast majority of small-boat arrivals go on to apply for asylum in the UK.

The small boat crisis first escalated in 2018 after tighter security reduced attempts to enter Britain hidden in trucks and ferries. Since then, the crossings have become one of the most politically explosive issues in British politics, fueling growing pressure on both Labour and Conservative leaders to demonstrate control over the border.

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has publicly praised soldiers who killed themselves rather than be captured while fighting Ukrainian forces in Kursk region, offering the clearest confirmation yet of what officials and intelligence agencies have long described as one of Pyongyang’s most extreme battlefield policies.

In remarks published Monday by North Korean state media KCNA and first reported by Reuters, Kim honored troops who "unhesitatingly chose the path of self-destruction and suicide" rather than surrender, as he addressed Russian officials and bereaved families during a memorial ceremony for North Korean soldiers killed in combat.

"It is not only the heroes who unhesitatingly chose the path of self-destruction and suicide to defend great honor, but also those who fell while charging at the forefront of assault battles," Kim said.

The comments mark the first time Kim has directly acknowledged the lengths North Korean troops fighting for Russia have gone to in attempts to avoid capture by Ukrainian forces.

BATTERED IN UKRAINE, RUSSIA RACES TO REARM — BUT QUESTIONS LINGER OVER ITS MILITARY STRENGTH

North Korea deployed an estimated 14,000 troops to Russia’s western Kursk region to support Moscow’s war effort, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials cited by Reuters. Those same officials say the forces suffered staggering losses, with more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers believed killed in some of the war’s most intense fighting.

For months, intelligence reports, battlefield evidence and defector testimony have pointed to a grim directive: North Korean troops were expected to detonate grenades or otherwise take their own lives rather than risk capture.

That policy appears to have extended even to the few who survived. According to The Guardian, two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces and now held as prisoners of war in Kyiv both reportedly attempted to blow themselves up but were unable to do so because of severe injuries. One of the captured soldiers has reportedly expressed guilt over failing to carry out those orders.

NORTH KOREA VOWS 'TOUGHEST' US POLICY IN VAGUE ANNOUNCEMENT

Kim’s latest speech appears to transform those reports from battlefield allegations into publicly praised state doctrine.

"Those who writhed in frustration at failing to fulfill their duty as soldiers rather than suffering the agony of their bodies being torn apart by bullets and shells — these too can be called the party’s loyal warriors and patriots," Kim added.

The statement underscores the ideological intensity imposed on North Korean forces, whose loyalty to the regime appears to extend beyond combat to self-destruction.

The revelation also highlights the deepening military relationship between Pyongyang and Moscow.

According to South Korean intelligence assessments, North Korea has provided not only troops but also munitions to Russia, while receiving economic aid and military technology in return.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Britain raised its national terror threat level to "severe" on Thursday in the wake of the antisemitic stabbing attack in Golders Green, warning that another terrorist attack is now considered "highly likely" in the next six months.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) increased the U.K. National Threat Level from "substantial" to "severe" a day after two people were stabbed in north London in what police have formally declared a terrorist incident.

Officials said the decision was not based solely on the Golders Green attack, but reflects a broader rise in extreme right-wing terrorism in Britain.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called Wednesday’s violence an "abhorrent, antisemitic attack" and said the elevated threat level would be a source of concern for many, "particularly amongst our Jewish community, who have suffered so much."

BELGIUM DEPLOYS MILITARY TO PROTECT JEWISH SITES AFTER ANTISEMITIC SYNAGOGUE EXPLOSION

Police said officers were called to Highfield Avenue in the Barnet borough at about 11:16 a.m. Wednesday following reports of multiple stabbings.

Two men, ages 76 and 34, were treated at the scene for stab wounds before being taken to a hospital, where they remain and are "being looked after," Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said.

On Thursday, police identified the suspect as 45-year-old Essa Suleiman. Suleiman is a British national born in Somalia who had a "history of serious violence and mental health issues", police say.

NEW TERROR GROUP WITH REPORTED IRAN TIES CLAIMS 4 ATTACKS ACROSS EUROPE

The Home Office said the threat-level increase comes against a backdrop of rising terrorism in the U.K.

On Thursday, protesters gathered on Downing Street to voice concerns that not enough has been done to protect the Jewish community.

In response to the attack and a recent rise of antisemitic arson attacks in London, the government announced an additional £25 million in funding to protect Jewish communities, bringing total support this year to £58 million. Officials said the money will be used to boost police patrols and protective security at synagogues, schools and community centers.

RECORD ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS IN CANADA FUEL CRITICISM OF CARNEY GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

The funding will also support an expansion of Project Servator, which deploys specialist and plainclothes officers trained to spot suspicious behavior and identify people preparing to commit serious crimes.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the British government cannot credibly claim to be combating antisemitism unless it also confronts what he described as "explicit incitement against the Jewish state."

"Hate slogans and anti-Semitic marches in the streets of London aren’t 'free speech'. They are incitement," he wrote on X. "They bring terror directed against Jews.
They must be banned. The phrase 'Globalise the Intifada', means killing Jews everywhere. It must be banned."

"This is what the British government must immediately do to fight antisemitism. Otherwise, it’s just more empty words."

Taylor said the attack has now been formally classified as terrorism and that counterterrorism officers are working with security services to establish the full circumstances and develop a complete intelligence picture.

"Whilst I must stress this investigation is at an early stage, we are working quickly to understand exactly what happened," Taylor said.

BOULDER TERROR ATTACK LATEST IN ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS RISING ACROSS US IN 2025

A statement posted on X by Shomrim, a volunteer neighborhood watch group in Orthodox Jewish communities, said the suspect was seen "armed with a knife" on Golders Green Road and was detained by members before police arrived.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said officers "swiftly Tasered and arrested the suspect before he could cause further harm," adding that investigators are "considering all possible motives" and will maintain a visible police presence in the area.

The U.K. was last at the "severe" threat level in November 2021, following the Liverpool Women’s Hospital bombing and the killing of lawmaker Sir David Amess, before it was lowered to "substantial" in February 2022.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence, calling attacks on Jewish residents "an attack on Britain," while London Mayor Sadiq Khan said there is "no place for antisemitism" in the city.

Fox News' Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Leaked remarks from Britain’s ambassador to the U.S. suggesting Washington’s "one true special relationship" is with Israel — not the United Kingdom — have sparked political backlash in London.

Sir Christian Turner reportedly told a group of British students earlier in 2026 that the United States’ one true "special relationship" is "probably Israel," not the United Kingdom, according to leaked audio first reported by the Financial Times. 

The remarks, made privately but leaked publicly during King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s high-profile visit to Washington and New York amid efforts to repair strained relations, have placed fresh scrutiny on Britain’s standing in Washington at a particularly sensitive diplomatic moment.

Turner reportedly stressed that Britain’s ties with the U.S. remain deeply intertwined, particularly on defense and security. 

'TRUMP EFFECT' ON DISPLAY AS UK'S STARMER BOOSTS DEFENSE SPENDING ON EVE OF US VISIT

"There is a deep history and affinity between us. Particularly on defence and security, we are intertwined," according to leaked audio cited by British media. "The relationship will carry on, if you want, being ‘special,’ but I think it’s going to have to be different." 

Turner also said, according to the transcript, that Britain and Europe must "work to redefine" their relationship with Washington, particularly in terms of defense, rather than relying on a U.S. security umbrella. 

The leak comes after recent strains between Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, including disagreements over Britain’s posture toward U.S.–Israeli military action against Iran. Trump previously criticized Starmer publicly, saying he was "not Winston Churchill."

An embassy spokesperson and a U.K. Foreign Office spokesperson sought to distance the government from the leaked remarks, telling Fox News Digital: "These were private, informal comments made to a group of U.K. sixth-form students visiting the U.S. in early February. They are certainly not any reflection of the U.K. government’s position."

The wide-ranging informal discussion, the spokesperson explained, focused on diplomacy and the political issues of the day that students asked questions about, stressing that the remarks were clearly never intended as on-record statements of government policy.

PRINCE WILLIAM VIEWS TRUMP RELATIONSHIP AS KEY TO MONARCHY'S FUTURE: EXPERT

Still, the controversy raises broader questions that extend beyond diplomatic optics: whether the symbolic "special relationship" between Washington and London has been eclipsed by more immediate U.S. strategic priorities, particularly Israel’s central role in American Middle East security calculations.

Barak Seener, senior fellow at the London-based Henry Jackson Society, said Turner’s remarks reflected a hard strategic reality rather than a diplomatic blunder.

"Ambassador Christian Turner was giving a realistic assessment that echoed President Trump’s criticism of NATO, calling it a ‘paper tiger’ for not contributing to joint U.S.-Israel-led operations against Iran," Seener told Fox News Digital.

Seener pointed to his recent report, "Israel 2048: A Blueprint for an Asymmetric Geopolitical Power," arguing that Israel’s expanding military capabilities increasingly function as a force multiplier for U.S. regional interests. By contrast, Seener argued, Britain’s modern strategic value has weakened despite its historic rhetoric.

"King Charles, in his recent speech to the U.S. Congress, was forced to emphasise the U.K. and U.S.’s shared culture and history rather than recent military contributions simply because the U.K.’s naval and military capabilities have been completely hollowed out," Seener said.

He added that Charles’ invocation of past joint sacrifices "does not bear any relevance to today" given Britain’s reported refusal to allow U.S. use of Royal Air Force bases for strikes on Iran.

The White House, however, emphasized continuity over controversy, telling Fox News Digital that, "President Trump has enjoyed welcoming Their Majesties to the White House this week, including yesterday morning, when he highlighted the historic, special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.

"The events of this visit are unprecedented in scope and spectacle, and the President enjoyed hosting a beautiful State Dinner yesterday evening," she added.

Two people were stabbed in north London on Wednesday in an attack that police have now formally declared a terrorist incident, prompting a major emergency response and an ongoing counterterrorism investigation.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the Metropolitan Police’s counterterrorism chief, said the attack has been officially classified as terrorism as investigators work to determine the motive and whether the Jewish community was deliberately targeted.

Officers were called to Highfield Avenue in the Barnet borough at about 11:16 a.m. following reports of multiple stabbings, according to the Metropolitan Police. Local and armed officers responded alongside the London Ambulance Service.

A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody, police said. Authorities are working to determine his nationality and background.

Two men, ages 76 and 34, were treated at the scene for stab wounds before being taken to a hospital, where they remain and are "being looked after," Taylor said.

SYNAGOGUE IN LONDON TARGETED IN ATTEMPTED 'ANTISEMITIC HATE CRIME,' UK POLICE SAY

Police said the suspect also attacked responding officers before he was subdued with a Taser. No officers were injured.

Counterterrorism officers are leading the investigation, working with security services to establish the full circumstances and develop a complete intelligence picture, Taylor said.

"Whilst I must stress this investigation is at an early stage, we are working quickly to understand exactly what happened," Counter Terrorism Policing head Laurence Taylor said.

NYC POLICE HUNT SUSPECT ACCUSED OF STABBING JEWISH MAN IN CHEST WHILE MAKING ANTISEMITIC STATEMENTS

The stabbing unfolded in the Barnet area, near Golders Green, which is known for its large Jewish community. Authorities have indicated the case is being treated as a potentially antisemitic incident, though motive has not been confirmed.

The stabbing unfolded in the Barnet area, near Golders Green, which is known for its large Jewish community, and police said one line of inquiry is whether the attack deliberately targeted London’s Jewish community, though a motive has not been confirmed.

A statement posted on X by Shomrim, a volunteer neighborhood watch group in Orthodox Jewish communities, said a man was seen "armed with a knife" on Golders Green Road and was detained by members before police arrived. The group claimed the suspect attempted to target Jewish members of the public — a detail police have not independently confirmed.

GUILTY VERDICTS IN ISIS PLOT POLICE SAY COULD HAVE BEEN 'THE DEADLIEST TERRORIST ATTACK IN UK HISTORY'

Shomrim said two victims were treated by Hatzola, a volunteer emergency medical service.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said officers "swiftly Tasered and arrested the suspect before he could cause further harm," adding that investigators are "considering all possible motives" and will maintain a visible police presence in the area.

ANTISEMITISM WATCHDOG SLAMS UK GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO 70K RALLY AGAINST JEW-HATRED

Williams said police are "aware of the significant distress and concern this incident is likely to cause," and will remain in the area to carry out inquiries and reassure residents.

The attack comes amid heightened concern over antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom. Authorities are examining recent incidents in London but have not established any direct connection.

‘ACT OF VIOLENCE’: NEW JERSEY RABBI INJURED IN SUSPECTED HATE CRIME BEFORE JEWISH HOLIDAY

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence, calling attacks on Jewish residents "an attack on Britain," while London Mayor Sadiq Khan said there is "no place for antisemitism" in the city.

Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch said, "Jewish people in our country are under constant attack. This is no longer a growing pattern. There is an epidemic of violence against Jewish people. It is now a national emergency and needs to be treated as such by the Government and public authorities."

Dov Forman, a Golders Green resident and Holocaust educator, described the attack as part of what he sees as a broader and deeply concerning trend.

UK STABBING, VEHICLE ATTACK INJURES 4 OUTSIDE SYNAGOGUE, POLICE SAY

"Yet again, terror has been brought to our doorstep here in Golders Green, in the heart of London’s Jewish community," Forman said. "Earlier today, two visibly Jewish men were stabbed in what is being described as an antisemitic attack. For many, this is not being seen as an isolated act of violence, but as part of a broader and deeply troubling pattern. There is growing concern that extemist rhetoric and Islamist extremism, including calls to ‘globalize the intifada,’ has helped fuel an environment in which hatred against Jews is increasingly normalized, unchecked, and dangerously emboldened."

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was "horrified by yet another violent attack on Jews in broad daylight on the streets of London" and called for urgent action.

"No Jew anywhere in the world should be a target because of their faith," Herzog said, adding that authorities must act "before the next antisemitic attack occurs."

Authorities urged anyone with information to contact police as the investigation continues.

The number of antisemitic incidents reported across the U.K. has soared since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel and the subsequent Gaza war, according to the Community Security Trust. The group recorded 3,700 incidents in 2025, up from 1,662 in 2022.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

As Britain publicly distances itself from President Donald Trump’s Iran pressure campaign, King Charles III’s upcoming visit is shaping up as more than royal pageantry. 

It may be Britain’s most important diplomatic tool for preventing growing policy fractures with Washington from becoming something deeper.

"The British monarch has historically had huge importance in terms of creating personal diplomacy to smooth over ruffled feathers," Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank, told Fox News Digital, arguing that the crown has often served as Britain’s strategic stabilizer during moments of political strain.

Mendoza said Charles could play a critical role at a moment when Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government and Trump appear increasingly divided over Iran, defense strategy and the future shape of the transatlantic alliance.

TRUMP SLAMS STARMER AS ‘NOT WINSTON CHURCHILL’ FOR REFUSAL TO BACK IRAN STRIKES

"King Charles has the opportunity, through personal diplomacy, to create a new beginning with Donald Trump," Mendoza said.

Britain’s balancing act became clearer Monday when Deputy Minister Stephen Doughty publicly rejected U.S. blockade tactics against Iran, while still backing Washington’s broader effort to secure maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

"While the U.K. doesn’t support the U.S. blockade, it supports working with the United States and others to reopen the Strait of Hormuz," Doughty said ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting, according to The Associated Press, warning Tehran cannot be allowed to hold "the rest of the world to ransom."

The split underscores London’s effort to support U.S. security goals without fully endorsing Trump’s "economic fury" strategy, which aims to strangle Iran’s economic lifelines through aggressive maritime pressure.

That policy divergence has intensified scrutiny over whether Charles’ visit is now functioning as a diplomatic pressure valve.

A White House spokesperson emphasized the visit as a sign of enduring personal rapport between the president and the monarch. "President Trump has always had great respect for King Charles, and their relationship was further strengthened by the president’s historic trip to the United Kingdom last year," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital. "The president enjoyed welcoming their majesties to the White House, and he looks forward to more special events throughout the week."

AS AIRSTRIKES RAIN DOWN ON THE IRANIAN REGIME, CAN A FRACTURED OPPOSITION UNITE TO LEAD IF IT FALLS?

Mendoza pointed to Queen Elizabeth II’s past interventions as evidence that the monarchy can sometimes succeed where elected leaders cannot.

He cited Elizabeth’s historic role in easing tensions with Ireland and described royal diplomacy as uniquely positioned to create trust at the personal level.

"People often wonder why the British monarchy still exists in the 21st century," Mendoza said. "This is why."

Still, Mendoza was careful not to overstate the king’s role.

Charles, he said, is unlikely to directly influence specific policies on Iran, NATO or military cooperation. Instead, his greatest value lies in shaping what Mendoza called the "general mood music" around Trump’s willingness to engage.

"It’s more a question of general mood music, which could make the president more receptive to interesting solutions," Mendoza said.

That distinction may prove crucial.

Rather than forcing policy alignment, Charles could help preserve the broader strategic atmosphere needed to keep Washington and London functioning as close allies even while their elected governments disagree.

KING CHARLES SENDS PERSONAL MESSAGE OF CONGRATULATIONS TO TRUMP ON SWEARING-IN

For Britain, that may be particularly important as outside analysts warn that the "special relationship" is under mounting structural strain.

In an analysis published Monday, Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Matthias Matthijs argued that while the royal visit offers "spectacle and ritual," it is unlikely to reverse what he described as the deeper unraveling of U.S.–U.K. ties.

Matthijs pointed to Trump’s repeated criticisms of Starmer about immigration, energy policy and Britain’s posture toward the U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran, suggesting Charles may now be doing much of the diplomatic "heavy lifting" required to preserve British access to Trump.

Meanwhile, constitutional scholars in Britain have also raised concerns.

Writing for the U.K. Constitutional Law Association earlier in April, Francesca Jackson warned that using the monarch as a diplomatic instrument during periods of sharp political volatility could expose the Crown to political backlash or "potential embarrassment," especially if Charles is perceived as caught between Trump and Starmer.

That risk reflects the broader stakes.

If Trump embraces Charles while continuing to criticize Starmer, the visit could preserve royal rapport while underscoring political dysfunction, effectively creating a parallel diplomatic lane between Washington and the British Crown.

But for now, Mendoza argues, the monarchy’s purpose is not governance, but access to the king, which may still have a chance to keep the relationship from fracturing beyond repair.

Fox News Digital reached out to Prime Minister Starmer's office for comment. 

The U.S. Embassy in London on Friday warned Americans to "exercise increased caution" while visiting Jewish and American areas in the U.K. and in Europe because of a recent rise in threats.

"The U.S. Embassy in London notes recent attacks and threats targeting Jewish and American institutions in the United Kingdom and Europe," the alert said. "U.S. citizens, particularly those visiting institutions serving Jewish or American interests, should remain alert and exercise increased caution."

The embassy further advised Americans to remain alert while visiting tourist and expat areas and houses of worship, review personal security plans and to check local media for updates.

Concerned citizens can also enroll in the State Department's Safe Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive travel and security updates.

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The advisory followed a series of recent antisemitic attacks in the U.K. and in Europe, including an arson attack on four ambulances linked to a Jewish charity in London on March 23, an April 18 attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in London, and a March explosion at a Jewish school in Amsterdam that authorities called a "targeted attack against the Jewish community."

No one was injured, but the school was damaged.

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U.K. authorities are investigating whether "thugs for hire" backed by Iran are instigating the attacks in London, GB News reported.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the Jewish Chronicle: "In relation to malign state actors more generally, proscription, we do need legislation in order to take necessary measures, and that is legislation that we're bringing forward as soon as we can."

Some landlords in England are apparently advertising "Muslim-only" apartments online, according to a local media report.

An investigation by The Telegraph found that alleged listings posted in London on Facebook, Gumtree and Telegram feature phrases such as "only for Muslims," "for 2 Muslim boys or 2 Muslim girls," and "Muslims preferred."

Other ads appeal to Punjabi and Gujarati speakers, while some job vacancies on the platforms are advertised for men only.

Some listings specify "Hindu only," in addition to posts that likely use religious subtext by stating: "The house should be alcohol and smoke-free."

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On Facebook, a company called Roshan Properties posted dozens of listings stating "prefer Muslim boy," "one double room is available for Muslims," and "suitable for Punjabi boy." A Meta spokesman told Fox News Digital that Facebook then removed the company's page "for violating the platform’s policies on discriminatory practices."

The ads run afoul of Britain's Equality Act 2010, which prohibits discrimination based on religion or belief, race and other protected characteristics.

"These adverts are disgusting and anti-British. It goes without saying that there would be a national outrage if the tables were turned," Robert Jenrick, Reform UK’s economic spokesman, told The Telegraph. "All forms of racism are unacceptable, and no religious group should get a special exemption to discriminate in this way."

One landlord told The Telegraph to "go away" when asked about an ad for a "Muslims only" room for $1,150, and whether it was available to renters of other faiths.

A spokesperson for Gumtree told the newspaper that the company has clear policies in place that prohibit unlawful discrimination.

"We take reports of inappropriate listings very seriously," the spokesperson said. "The ads referenced appear to relate to private rooms within shared homes, where existing occupants may express preferences about who they live with. This is different from renting out an entire property, which is subject to stricter rules under the Equality Act."

Telegram did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Britain’s elite Special Air Service (SAS) is facing a growing exodus as soldiers resign over fears they could face years of legal scrutiny for actions taken on the battlefield, according to a report in The Telegraph.

Several sources told the British newspaper that members of 22 SAS, the British Army’s most elite regiment, have applied for premature release amid anger over investigations into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, Syria and Northern Ireland.

The debate is not confined to Britain.

American troops could face similar concerns if political leaders fail to distinguish between legitimate investigations and politically motivated campaigns, according to John Spencer, executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute. 

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"I welcome timely investigations of allegations of violations," Spencer told Fox News Digital, "but want our leaders to protect all our forces, special or not, from agenda or politicized ‘witch hunts.’"

In Australia, the case of Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith has become a rallying point for veterans who fear elite soldiers could face years of legal battles after serving in combat.

Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living soldier, has denied allegations that he committed war crimes in Afghanistan. Earlier in April, Australian authorities charged him with five counts of murder related to his service in Afghanistan.

To many British veterans, the Australian case reinforces fears that the same trend could spread across other Western militaries, including the United States.  

At least two SAS squadrons have been affected, with several current and former members describing the losses as a "threat to national security." The paper did not publish the precise number of departures for security reasons.

The resignations come as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government faces criticism over both defense spending and the treatment of veterans.

Britain’s armed forces have faced mounting scrutiny over their size and readiness in recent years. But the U.K. government says it is reversing that trend, reporting that total armed forces strength stood at 182,050 personnel as of Jan. 1, 2026, including 136,960 regular troops, an increase from the previous year.

The government also has pledged what it calls the largest sustained rise in defense spending since the Cold War, with military spending set to reach 2.6% of GDP by 2027, backed by an additional £5 billion this financial year and £270 billion in defense investment over the course of the current Parliament. Britain also has said it aims to raise defense spending to 3% of GDP by the end of the next Parliament.

Former and current soldiers said they believe Britain’s legal system has turned against troops who were sent to fight on behalf of the government.

"If a soldier discharges their weapon, they are almost certainly going to get a knock at their door one day," George Simm, a former regimental sergeant major of 22 SAS, told The Telegraph. "It feels like a betrayal and a break in the trust."

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The controversy centers on ongoing investigations into British special forces operations.

A total of 242 special forces troops, including 120 still serving, are currently involved in legal inquiries costing roughly £1 million per month. Those inquiries involve operations in Afghanistan, Northern Ireland and Syria.

Critics say those investigations have created a culture in which soldiers fear that decisions made in combat would later lead to prosecution.

Andrew Fox, a former British Army officer and senior fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank, told Fox News Digital the relationship between soldiers and the government has been badly damaged.

"Soldiering contains a pact between the government and those they employ to use lethal force," Fox said. "Soldiers will take human life within the rules set for them by international law, and in return, their governments should support them.

"This has been inverted, and international law has been weaponized and exploited by our enemies to persecute our soldiers. All too often, governments are coming down on the side of those enemies, not our troops."

Fox said it was understandable that some soldiers would no longer want to serve.

"Of course, law breaking should be punished, but we are seeing a breakdown in trust between governments and their armed forces when politicians allow troops to be hounded through the courts unjustly," he said.

Spencer said professional militaries depend on maintaining public trust through a strong internal justice system.

"A professional military holds the trust of its society because it lives by a strict ethical code, its laws, and its rules," Spencer told Fox News Digital. "That trust is what gives soldiers the unique authority to use lethal force in the worst conditions a human being can face."

Spencer said allegations of wrongdoing should be investigated quickly and fairly.

"We need investigations that move quickly and fairly on any credible allegation," he said. "If there's real evidence of wrongdoing under the law of armed conflict or the rules of engagement, then both the military and society must act on it. That's how you keep the trust alive."

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At the same time, Spencer warned that some legal campaigns risk crossing the line into what troops perceive as politically motivated "witch hunts."

"I've seen too many human rights lawyers blur the line between basic human rights and the actual law of armed conflict," Spencer said. "They don't always understand the application of the use of force in context or the split-second chaos of combat. When that turns into what troops call witch hunts, it eats away at morale and readiness."

Spencer said governments have a responsibility both to investigate credible accusations and to protect troops from what he called agenda-driven campaigns.

"It's also the duty of the government to shield the military from agenda-driven witch hunts," he said. "A rigorous military justice system and honest self-policing are essential for an ethical force. Without them, the profession loses the very trust that lets it do its job."

Britain’s Ministry of Defense spokesperson told Fox News digital that, "While it is a long-standing policy of successive governments to not comment on U.K. Special Forces, we are immensely proud of all our Armed Forces and their extraordinary contribution to keeping the U.K. safe at home and abroad."

"We are committed to ensuring that the legal framework governing our Armed Forces reflects the practical realities of military operations — and that those who served with honor are properly protected," he added, "Where the U.K. undertakes military action, it complies fully with U.K. and international law. We are clear that upholding those standards does not prevent our Armed Forces from conducting effective operations."

Former British military chiefs warned in an open letter to Starmer in late 2025 that soldiers increasingly believe they must worry about "not only the enemy in front of them but the lawyer behind them."

"Make no mistake," the retired generals wrote, "our closest allies are watching uneasily, and our enemies will be rubbing their hands."

British counterterror police are investigating whether suspected Iranian proxies are behind a wave of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in London, as a chief rabbi warned that such attacks are escalating.

The Metropolitan Police said specialized counterterror officers are probing fires at synagogues, Jewish-linked facilities and a Persian-language media company critical of Iran’s regime.

The latest incident caused minor damage to a north London synagogue Saturday night. No injuries have been reported in any of the blazes, which all happened within a few miles of each other.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said investigators are examining claims by a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, which has taken responsibility for several attacks. The group’s name means Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right.

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"We are aware of public reporting that suggests this group may have links to Iran. As you would expect, we will continue to explore that question as our investigation evolves," she said.

"I’ve spoken previously about the Iranian regime’s use of criminal proxies, and we’re considering whether this tactic is being used here in London," Evans added.

Authorities say the group — which Israel has described as a possible Iranian proxy — has also claimed synagogue attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.

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Police have flooded northwest London with additional officers after a series of incidents in recent weeks, including the torching of four Jewish charity ambulances in the Golders Green neighborhood on March 23.

Several suspects, ranging from teenagers to people in their 40s, have already been arrested and charged.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis warned on X that "a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum."

"Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society," he added.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence, calling the attacks "abhorrent" and vowing those responsible "will be found and brought to justice."

The threat level rose further after the group released a video claiming it would target Israel’s embassy in London with drones carrying hazardous substances. Police shut down nearby Kensington Gardens while investigating suspicious items but said no dangerous materials were found.

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British officials have long warned that Iran uses criminal networks to carry out attacks in Europe. MI5 says it disrupted more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-linked plots in the past year.

Police issued a blunt warning to any "thugs for hire" involved in such attacks.

"Let’s be really clear — it’s a mug’s game," said Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes. "That’s what people who are now serving long prison sentences have found out, and the same fate awaits those responsible for these recent crimes."

Investigators say the probe remains ongoing as authorities work to determine whether the attacks are part of a coordinated foreign-backed campaign.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump publicly thanked what he called Pakistan’s "great prime minister and field marshal, two fantastic people!!!" in a Truth Social post Friday praising Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s military chief, Asim Munir.

Sharif quickly responded on X, "On behalf of the people of Pakistan, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and on my behalf, I express my deep and profound appreciation for your kind and gracious words."

The public exchange capped a remarkable rise for Munir, who has become one of the few foreign officials trusted both by Trump and by Iran’s security establishment.

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Munir recently became the first foreign military leader to visit Iran since the latest escalation between the United States and Iran, according to Pakistani and Iranian reports. Arriving in full military uniform, he was warmly greeted by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and held meetings with senior Iranian military officials.

Retired Pakistani Gen. Ahmed Saeed told Fox News Digital that Munir has for months served as an informal back channel between Washington and Tehran, Iran, as the Trump administration tries to negotiate an end to the conflict, Iran’s nuclear program and the naval blockade in the Persian Gulf.

Few foreign figures appear to have closer ties both to Trump and to Iran’s military hierarchy.

That has raised a striking question: How did the same man become close both to Trump and to some of Iran’s most powerful commanders?

Saeed, who said he has known Munir personally for years, told Fox News Digital that Munir began building ties with Iran while serving as Pakistan’s director general of military intelligence in 2016 and 2017.

"He has been interacting with the leadership. He has been interacting with the intelligence community. He has been interacting with the IRGC," or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Saeed said.

According to Saeed, Munir built ties not only with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps but also with Iran’s regular army and intelligence apparatus. Saeed said Munir had longstanding contact with former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. strike in 2020, commander Hossein Salami, who was killed in an Israeli strike in June 2025, and other Iranian military figures.

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"He continues to be a figure internationally who has personal interactions, a personal equation in the intelligence community in Iran, in the military hierarchy in Iran, in the diplomatic corps of Iran and also on the side of the political leadership," Saeed said.

That longstanding relationship appears to explain why Iran welcomed him so warmly, even as he remains in direct contact with Trump and his team.

Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Bill Roggio told Fox News Digital, "Trump should not trust the Pakistanis. Pakistan was a perfidious ‘ally’ in Afghanistan, backing the Taliban while pretending to be our friends. Munir’s ties to the IRGC should be a massive red flag for the Trump admin."

Munir’s relationship with Trump dates back to the India–Pakistan crisis of May 2025. Munir played a key role in helping de-escalate the confrontation, and afterward Pakistan formally nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, a move widely viewed by Pakistani analysts as encouraged by Munir.

Since then, Trump has repeatedly praised him, calling Munir an "exceptional man," a "great fighter" and "my favorite field marshal." 

Pakistani officials and media reports say the two men now speak directly.

Pakistani analyst Raza Rumi told Fox News Digital that Munir’s appeal to Trump is not surprising.

"Trump has long shown a preference for strong, decisive leaders," Rumi said. "Munir fits that mold as a centralized authority figure who can deliver outcomes."

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Rumi described Munir as "a disciplined, institution-first leader with a strong emphasis on order, hierarchy and strategic clarity."

"Unlike more publicly charismatic military figures, his style is relatively understated, shaped by intelligence work and operational experience rather than overt political signaling," Rumi said.

Munir’s background helps explain both his style and his influence.

Munir studied at the Fuji School in Japan, the Command and Staff College in Quetta, the Malaysian Armed Forces College in Kuala Lumpur, and Pakistan’s National Defence University, where he earned a master of philosophy degree in public policy and strategic security management, according to Pakistan’s Geo News. Munir was the first army chief in Pakistan to receive the Sword of Honour, the military’s highest distinction for a cadet. The outlet also described him as an avid reader, traveler and sportsman.

Munir is also a Hafiz-e-Quran, meaning he has memorized the entire Quran by heart.

A former head of both Pakistan’s Military Intelligence and Inter-Services Intelligence agencies, Munir spent years overseeing Pakistan’s most sensitive regional relationships, including with Iran, Afghanistan and India.

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In 2025, after the India-Pakistan crisis, he was elevated to field marshal, the first Pakistani officer to hold the rank since former military ruler Ayub Khan.

Pakistani officials say that later that year, he also was given the newly created title of chief of defense forces, further cementing his authority above the country’s military branches.

Munir rarely gives interviews, but his speeches offer clues to his worldview.

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At the Margalla Dialogue in Islamabad in November 2024, he warned that "absence of proper regulations for freedom of expression is leading to the deterioration of moral values in societies worldwide."

The remark reflected a broader emphasis on order, discipline and centralized authority.

Rumi said Munir operates from "a transactional, state-centric worldview rather than an ideological one."

Yet critics argue that his rise has come at a cost to Pakistan’s democracy.

After becoming army chief in 2022, Munir focused heavily on domestic politics, including what critics described as a crackdown on political opposition and an unprecedented concentration of military power, according to The Guardian, which reported that key negotiations with the United States and Iran have been coordinated not from Islamabad, Pakistan’s civilian capital, but from Rawalpindi, the headquarters of the military.

Critics say that reflects a broader reality: Pakistan’s foreign policy is increasingly being run by the army rather than the elected government.

Rumi said Munir’s rise reflects "the military increasingly eclipsing civilian leadership in Pakistan."

As the current negotiations continue, much appears to rest on Munir. Saeed said that is because Munir has spent years building trust on both sides and is unlikely to stop now.

"Knowing our field marshal, and from my own personal knowledge of him, he is relentless. He would not give up," Saeed said.

A British bride has battled depression and has been unable to work in the nearly two years since she was drenched in black paint by her spiteful sister-in-law. The attack occurred moments before she was slated to walk down the aisle to wed her childhood sweetheart — the climax of a revenge attack amid an ongoing feud.

Gemma Monk, 35, a mother of two, was looking forward to marrying her now-husband, Ken Monk, in May 2024. She was walking with her father on a cream-colored carpet at the venue in Maidstone, England, when someone called out her name. Seconds later, she was splashed with black paint, she told Kent Online in an article published Friday.

Realizing the attacker was her sister-in-law, Antonia Eastwood, who is married to Gemma’s older brother, Ashley, Gemma grabbed her by the hair, but Eastwood managed to get away. The bride was left distraught and in tears.

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"This has had a dramatic impact on my life," Monk told Kent Online on Wednesday, after Eastwood was sentenced by a British court for two offenses of criminal damage. "Even while I was providing this statement at the police station, I got extremely emotional and started crying while talking about the incident.

"Since the incident, if it wasn’t for my children or my family, I don’t think I would even get out of bed to care for myself," she added. "I have lost all my dignity and good habits in life. I have lost who I used to be. This has turned the most special day of my life into the worst memory — one I will never forget, and neither will my family."

The attack occurred after Monk had lost significant weight during a cancer scare. Though she has since been given a clean bill of health, Monk said her sister-in-law knew about the medical struggle at the time but "still decided to ruin the most important day of my life and put me at risk."

Eastwood, 49, had been banned from the wedding following a feud that stemmed from her own nuptials, during which Monk was accused of "trying to trip up" Eastwood.

MICHIGAN WOMAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY STARVING, TORTURING DISABLED SISTER-IN-LAW SHE LOCKED IN BASEMENT

In court, Eastwood was handed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. She was also ordered to perform 160 hours of community service. 

"This was meant to be a special day for Gemma Monk and her family. Courtesy of your conduct, it turned into a nightmare," Judge Oliver Saxby told Eastwood before imposing the sentence.

Eastwood's husband, Ashley, was once Ken Monk's best friend and actually introduced him to Gemma when she was only 14.

Despite the attack, Gemma scrubbed the paint from her face and body in the changing room and borrowed a dress fetched by an usher so she could marry her partner of more than 20 years. 

"We had waited for that day for so long. Nothing was going to stop me," she said. "I did not think twice; I would have walked down the aisle in my knickers and with black paint over my face if I had to."

However, Monk, a mental health worker, has since suffered from depression and has been unable to work. In a statement to the court, she said the incident changed her outlook on life and "made me question whether I had done something really bad, whether I had done something wrong."

The couple also called off a planned honeymoon to the Maldives because Gemma "wasn't up to it."

"I had a gut feeling—a bad feeling that something was wrong—when I got out of the car with my dad," Monk said. "But he said it must be nerves."

"I will never accept her apology," she added. "I thought the sentence was too light. She should have received at least 23 months for the wait we have had to get this to court."

As British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron convene a summit Friday on the future of the Strait of Hormuz, the two leaders are pushing a European-led plan to reopen the vital shipping lane after the war, without U.S. leadership.

The proposal envisions a post-conflict naval mission made up of Britain, France and other "non-belligerent" countries that would deploy only after fighting ends. Unlike President Donald Trump’s current strategy of blockading Iranian ports with U.S. naval power, the Anglo-French initiative is intended to be separate from the warring parties and focused on restoring commercial shipping.

A senior European official insisted the initiative is not meant to go around Washington, telling Fox News Digital that Paris began discussing a future maritime mission "from day one" of the conflict and is now formalizing those plans jointly with London.

NATO CHIEF SIGNALS ALLIES MAY ACT ON HORMUZ, WARNS OF ‘UNHEALTHY CODEPENDENCE’ ON US

Macron and Starmer are expected to host a summit to advance what both governments describe as a "coordinated, independent, multinational plan" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once the fighting ends.

"France and the United Kingdom will also host a conference in Paris this Friday, bringing together by video conference non-belligerent countries ready to contribute, alongside us, to a multilateral and purely defensive mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait when security conditions allow," Macron wrote on X.

Starmer similarly described the effort as a "coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping when the conflict ends," saying Britain had already convened more than 40 nations around the initiative, Reuters reported. Washington was not part of those earlier talks.

The European senior official said the proposed force would be "strictly defensive" and would only deploy after active fighting and bombardment have ended, with the goal of restoring normal shipping rather than enforcing a wartime corridor.

"What we want in the end is no blockade, no toll, no nothing that blocks the fluidity of what is going through the Strait of Hormuz," the official told Fox News Digital, while stressing that Iran remains "the first problem."

The official also rejected suggestions that Paris and London are trying to sideline the Trump administration, saying the U.S. has been kept informed and that there is extensive coordination with Washington even if the emerging mission is currently limited to "non-belligerent" countries.

WATCH: EX-NATO CHIEF DRAWS RED LINE AS TRUMP FUMES ALLIANCE ABANDONED US DURING IRAN WAR

"We’re coordinating a lot with them," the official said, adding that the goal is to create a framework that can operate once the conflict is over.

Macron has repeatedly emphasized that France’s envisioned mission would be "strictly defensive" and ruled out escorting ships while "bombings" are ongoing. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said "several dozen countries" already had participated in preparatory discussions led by military chiefs of staff, and that any future mission would also require coordination with Gulf coastal states, according to Reuters.

The Anglo-French initiative comes as Trump has taken a far more aggressive approach, ordering the U.S. Navy to blockade Iranian ports and continue operations aimed at securing the strategic waterway after ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran collapsed in Pakistan.

Critics argue that without American military power, the European proposal risks being largely symbolic.

PAKISTANI GENERAL SAYS IRAN DIPLOMACY STILL 'ALIVE, DESPITE US BLOCKADE, FAILED TALKS

Britain and France are overstating what they can realistically achieve, The Henry Jackson Society analyst Barak Seener said. 

"Britain and France are playing at being relevant as so-called ‘Middle Powers’ in international affairs," Seener told Fox News Digital.

"Keir Starmer’s assertion ‘We’re not getting dragged into the war’ disguises the embarrassing fact that the Royal Navy is facing a hollowed out crisis, causing the initiative to be ‘strictly defensive’," he said.

"France’s navy is also facing structural and budgetary pressures that strain its ability to conduct high-tempo operations."

"It is laughable that a European coalition of ‘non-belligerent’ countries that are only willing to engage once hostilities have ended can even speak of protecting its shipping lanes," Seener added.

"Ultimately, the U.S.’s deployment of hard power, consisting of carrier strike groups and fighter aircraft to blockade Iranian ports and clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz, can protect shipping lanes."

The U.K. government and the White House did not reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment before publication.