What’s in store for you today? (Picture: Metro.co.uk)
The Sun moves into Taurus, making space for commitment, certainty and a clear path ahead. You know what you want, so go and get it.
Gemini, Libra and Aquarius, this placement encourages you to slow down and give energy consistently. Don’t be tempted by short, sharp bursts.
Tune into your deepest wishes, and life will become abundant. This placement marks a new cosmic chapter so let go of what doesn’t serve you.
Ahead, you’ll find all star signs’ horoscopes for today: Monday April 20, 2026
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The pace of life slows from a sprint to a steady march as the Sun enters Taurus. After weeks of fresh starts, attention turns to resources, stability and the art of building something that’s tangible and lasting. This is an excellent time to review finances, strengthen plans and invest energy where results can grow over time. Enjoy earthy but simple pleasures such as good food.
With the Sun entering your sign, energy climbs as your personal season begins. Life can feel more grounded, purposeful and powerful. This is your annual reset as the spotlight returns to goals, your wellbeing and the pace that suits you best. Develop strands that reflect what really counts rather than what might look impressive. You will see yourself be more single minded.
You’re invited to slow life’s mental carousel and catch your breath Gemini as the Sun eases into your sector of review. This offers a time of reflection, and one that’s perfect for tying up loose ends and finishing outstanding tasks. Allow yourself some well-deserved peace and the chance to unwind. In a few days, livelier and unplanned opportunities can though emerge.
As the Sun enters your social world, it can truly blossom and friendship and group activities can bring warmth and inspiration for the next month. It’s a lovely time to connect with people who lift your spirits and share your vision. A casual invitation could lead to a meaningful partnership or fun-filled evenings. Look to nurture ties that truly support and cheer you on.
Over the next four weeks the spotlight moves towards ambitions and long-term goals. Seek to review your career direction and decide what success means for you personally. The Sun in Taurus is ideal for steady progress, so focus on building something long-lasting rather than focused just on status. Instead, take pride in work that gives you a chance to personally shine.
Your horizons can widen in satisfying ways over the coming month. Curiosity stirs, inviting you to learn something new, explore a different perspective or plan trips that refresh your outlook. It’s time to step beyond common routines and feed your mind with inspiring ideas. Conversations with wise or interesting people could spark ideas that prove truly fascinating.
Cosmic messages for Cosmic messages for Virgo today
Libra
September 24 to October 23
Your attention turns to deeper matters of trust, shared resources and emotional honesty. You are entering a thoughtful period, ideal for reviewing finances, joint commitments or investments of time or energy. The Sun in Taurus urges prudent decisions and patience. However, key conversations can deepen understanding between you and someone influential.
As the Sun steps into Taurus, this can be a very good month for deepening bonds and clarifying commitments. Notice who consistently supports your growth and who may be more superficial. Single? The next four weeks can be a time of increased possibility when it comes to sparking a new, meaningful bond. However, you can also firm up your boundaries.
The Sun’s move into your lifestyle zone encourages consistency over heroic bursts of effort. Life gently redirects your adventurous spirit towards practical matters. Work routines, health habits and daily responsibilities are now in focus. It’s a chance to refine systems so they support rather than drain you. Small improvements now create bigger benefits in time.
Look to rediscover pleasure and creativity alongside your worldly hopes. The coming weeks bring a refreshing shift from duty to delight. Artistic projects, romance, hobbies or new adventures can draw your attention. You’re reminded that relaxing is not a distraction from success but can fuel it. Allow yourself to feel enjoyment and you’ll enhance your resilience.
You are encouraged to slow down and cherish the comfort of familiar surroundings. This is an ideal time to refresh your living space, reconnect with family or enjoy peaceful moments. Relish stability and gentle pleasures over constant motion. Being a more logical zodiac sign, the next four weeks can also see you get more attuned to your inner, more emotional realm.
Your ideas and thinking can become more grounded in the coming weeks. This is a wonderful time to share ideas, learn something practical or reconnect with friends, siblings and or where you can have sparkling exchanges. Conversations can still have a purpose, so whatever you discuss can be converted into something more tangible and lasting.
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Sarah Brennan posed as a man to dupe another woman into sending her nude pictures.
12:21, 20 Apr 2026Updated 12:23, 20 Apr 2026
A catfisher who posed as a man to dupe another woman into sending her nude pictures lost her job because of her actions. Sarah Brennan, 32, bombarded her victim with calls and prowled near her home after her sick ruse was exposed.
The warped charity worker also pretended to be a high-flying male lawyer to strike up an online relationship with another female, who was left suffering panic attacks. Brennan, of Glasgow’s Drumchapel admitted two counts of romance fraud and stalking last month.
Brennan appeared today in the dock at Glasgow Sheriff Court to be sentenced. However, matters were adjourned until June after Sheriff Stuart Reid was recommended by social worker to call for a psychological report on her.
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Her lawyer earlier told the hearing that his client’s “employment was ended” due to the conviction. The court was previously told she messaged the first victim on Instagram in 2019 posing as a fella called Matthew Jay, who claimed to be Brennan’s cousin.
The pair swapped intimate pictures over six months. Brennan sent images of “a male’s body with no face visible”, the court was told.
But her hoax was revealed when the victim chatted to Brennan’s mum — who “did not know of any family members of that name”. When confronted, the perv claimed she had been “bored”.
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But the weirdo went on to phone her victim 250 times in one day, sent her a screenshot of a map indicating she was near her home, and threatened to release her explicit images.
The woman went to cops when she received a card, necklace and pendant inscribed “stuck with you”. Brennan was arrested and it emerged she had contacted another woman online in 2021 posing as a lawyer also called Matthew Jay.
They grew close, but Brennan sparked suspicion by cancelling meet-ups. The woman’s loved ones traced the same Instagram profile to an Englishman living in Dubai.
He confirmed he had been “contacted before” and that his identity had been stolen by “a female in Glasgow, who had entered into an online relationship”.
Michael Tierney, defending, told today’s hearing: “She is accepting of her guilt and has shown a great deal of reflection in regards to her behaviour.
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“As a result of her conviction, her employment was ended but she continued to work until that date. She is now no longer working and is applying for Universal Credit.”
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The warning was given to defendant Callum Garbutt after he changed plea and admitted a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, at a hearing at Durham Crown Court.
Garbutt, 21, who appeared via video link from HMP Durham, attacked another man in Spennymoor, on December 14, 2024.
The court was told the defendant had previously admitted the lesser offence of unlawful wounding, but without the intent element.
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Now he has admitted the more serious wounding with intent allegation, the other plea can be vacated.
Calum McNicholas, for Garbutt, said: “The facts are relatively straight-forward but there may be some complexity to this defendant.”
Mr McNicholas asked for sentence to be adjourned to allow for preparation of both a psychological assessment on the defendant and a background report by the Probation Service.
Judge Nathan Adams agreed to the adjournment for the reports to be compiled but said the starting point, according to the sentencing guidelines, is likely to be four or five years.
Adjourning the case until the sentencing hearing, on Friday June 12, Judge Adams told Garbutt, of Catherine Close, Spennymoor: “As you have now pleaded there no longer needs to be a trial.
Comedian Dapper Laughs spoke out for the first time after being called out by Katie Price, over a ‘joke’ he made about her eldest son, Harvey.
12:01, 20 Apr 2026Updated 12:02, 20 Apr 2026
Dapper Laughs has broken his silence after being called out by Katie Price, over a joke he reportedly made about her eldest son.
The mum-of-five was left raging after the comedian seemingly took aim at Harvey Price while on stage at a recent gig, before telling the crowd to “pretend he didn’t say anything” about the 23-year-old – who was diagnosed with genetic disorder Prader-Willi syndrome.
The content creator, 41, ignored the brewing controversy and instead posted a new video on social media, urging fans to change up their mentality. He said: “Happy Monday! It’s a brand new fresh week – don’t start with the same mentality you ended last week on. Shift it, f**k it, let it go. Whoever is getting you down, f**k them,” he instructed.
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“Switch it up, change your perspective. Whatever it is you’re thinking about and worrying about, f**king shift it out the way and focus on the positive things in your life.
“I’m thinking about all of the beautiful things in my life today and I’m like, “Today, I’m going to take a f**king day off worrying”. Why don’t you do the same thing?”
He followed this up with a screenshot of his lock screen, which has the quote: “Don’t worry about calming the storm. Calm yourself, the storm will pass”.
“Please try to ket it go… Put yourself first [sic],” he added, before clarifying that “ket” was a typo in another post.
Katie is known for being fiercely protective of her family and previously voiced concerns she has over her firstborn child, who was also diagnosed with autism and septo-optic dysplasia.
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Over the weekend, she called out Daniel over a remark he reportedly made on stage, fuming: “So I hear last night @dappersinstagram made a joke about my son Harvey AGAIN then said ‘pretend I didn’t say anything or I’ll get cancelled again’. He does charity football games for children and sure he has his own kids.
“Having to use my son with complex needs and can’t defend himself for a joke, makes this man a disgusting human being, so I prey he gets cancelled for EVERYTHING [sic].”
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In another post, she begged fans to report the comedian for “bullying” her son and demanded an apology for “his horrible words to others”.
Katie’s husband, Lee Andrews, also made his feelings known over the matter and called for Daniel to meet him in the boxing ring.
Uploading a picture of the Celebrity Big Brother star’s Instagram page, he added: “Daniel, I’ll fight you in Miss-fits in June. I won’t ever train for it so I can knock your fat t**t all over like the stodgy little round punching bag you (are) son.”
Written and directed by Charlotte Regan, the show follows Shannon (Laird), the daughter of her area’s dominant crime family, who is desperately searching for romance in the shadow of her father, Dylan.
She ends up falling hard for Arran (Coyle-Larner), a member of a rival crime family who has newly arrived in town.
A synopsis for the show adds: “While Shannon and Arran are navigating their forbidden romance, elsewhere, things are imploding for Shannon’s family.
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“Early in our series, Dylan (Sam Riley) decides to step down as the head of the family for mysterious reasons.
“Sam (Neil Leiper), Dylan’s second in command, steps up to take over, though his diverging tactics start to raise alarm”.
Despite the crime family aspects of the story, it is secondary to the romantic plotline.
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Explaining why she wanted to make the programme, Charlotte Regan shared: “I’ve always loved gangster shows, gangster films, and I’d wanted them to centre around the women in the families.
“I think I always thought they were like the backbones of those kinds of families when you read about them and watch them.
“So, it came from that, really, it started with Ollie (Lindsay Duncan), the grandma – she was one of the first characters and it just went from there.”
Meanwhile, Emma Laird shared that Regan’s previous work encouraged her to take on a role in Mint.
She said: “I was a big fan of her film Scrapper and thought she was great.
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“I was mid-shoot on another project and was flying to Venice Film Festival the next day but I went in to read [for the part] – I was so terrible at the Scottish accent, despite my dad being Scottish!
“I met Charli and from that first meeting, it was just super collaborative.
“It gave me a taste for what it would be like to be on set with her.
“And it has been the most beautiful collaboration; it’s exceeded my expectations.”
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Mint full cast list for BBC series
Emma Laird as Shannon
Benjamin Coyle-Larner as Arran
Sam Riley as Dylan
Laura Fraser as Cat
Lindsay Duncan as Ollie
Lewis Gribben as Luke
Neil Leiper as Sam
Lucy Howard as Young Shannon
Gordon Brown as Eddie
Thierry Mabonga as Spencer
Murray Fraser as Jasper
Russ Bain as Ben
Connor Newall as Liangelo
Tav MacDougall as Colin
Lucas Green as Young Liangelo
Joseph Ogbu as Young Arran
Emma Hartley-Miller as Nadia
Hannah Collins as Jackie
Clive Russell as Andy
David Carlyle as Tom
Recommended reading:
When will Mint be on TV?
The first episode of Mint will air at 9pm on BBC One on Monday, April 20, with the second episode following immediately afterwards at 9.30pm.
The remaining six episodes will air in the same timeslots over the next few weeks.
Alternatively, all eight episodes will be available to watch from 6am on Monday, April 20, on BBC iPlayer.
Will you be watching Mint on BBC One? Let us know in the comments.
A new law requires employers to respond to interviewees in a move that could reshape hiring practices
After three job interviews in London, Laura Gemma Bond travelled back to Cambridge and waited for the call that never came. Despite paying for train fares and preparing for each meeting, the marketing professional with 12 years’ experience received no response at all.
“It’s rude, it is unprofessional, it is not acceptable,” said Bond, who documented her job search on TikTok, where her posts have reached 2.3m views.
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Being “ghosted” by employers after interviews has become a familiar frustration for jobseekers across many countries. A 2025 report from hiring platform Greenhouse found that 63% of candidates in the UK and Ireland say they have experienced it.
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Now one part of Canada has decided to legislate against the practice. Under changes to the Employment Standards Act in Ontario, companies with more than 25 employees must notify candidates within 45 days of their final interview whether they have been successful. Employers who fail to respond can face fines of up to CA $100,000, roughly £50,000, after the law came into force in January.
“As an HR professional I cannot believe we have to legislate basic good behaviour,” said Allison Venditti, the Toronto-based founder of the Moms at Work network, who campaigned for the legislation. “If someone applies for a job, gets an interview and spends all that time on it, companies should let them know what is going on.”
Ontario’s law also requires employers to disclose salary ranges in job adverts, another measure campaigners say could help rebuild trust in recruitment. Danielle McConville, vice president for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific at Greenhouse, said that ghosting erodes confidence in employers while also damaging their reputation.
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Allison Venditti, founder of Moms at Work network, campaigned for the change
“While anti-ghosting regulations like those in Canada could help establish a baseline standard, the real solution is a human-centric approach that ensures fair, respectful and structured hiring practices,” she said.
Some employer groups, however, warn that legislating communication in recruitment could add administrative burdens, particularly for companies running large hiring rounds with hundreds of applicants. Critics also say the rule may simply encourage automated rejection emails rather than improving the quality of feedback candidates receive. Recruiters note that ghosting can run both ways, with some candidates also dropping out of recruitment processes without notice.
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The debate is emerging at a moment when job markets are tightening. In the UK, recent figures show unemployment nearing a five-year high as wage growth slows. At the same time, some graduates say they are submitting hundreds of applications before securing work, with reports of candidates applying for as many as 600 roles before receiving an offer.
Against that backdrop, campaigners are beginning to ask whether legislation like Ontario’s could catch on elsewhere. A petition on the UK government and parliament website calling for a legal requirement for employers to respond to interviewees has been launched, though it had gathered only 98 signatures at the time of writing.
“Once accountability measures are introduced in one jurisdiction, they quickly influence practice elsewhere,” said Jessica Ciccozzi, founder of the Australian executive advisory from East Executive.
Main image: Marten Bjork
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Cork beat Tipperary in Munster Championship opener at Semple Stadium, but celebrations turned sour for one young fan who was accidentally struck
It was a day of jubilation for Cork hurlers – but proceedings concluded on a rather unfortunate note for one young Rebel follower in Thurles.
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Ben O’Connor’s side mounted an impressive comeback, rattling off eight consecutive points in the second period to overcome reigning All-Ireland champions Tipperary in their Munster Championship curtain-raiser at Semple Stadium.
Having suffered defeat to Tipperary in last year’s All-Ireland final, victory tasted particularly satisfying for Cork and their supporters. The hosts managed just a solitary point from open play in the second half, which didn’t arrive until the 65th minute.
The final whistle triggered scenes of celebration, with predominantly young Cork supporters flooding onto the pitch to acclaim their heroes.
Yet matters took an unexpected turn for one enthusiastic youngster who rushed forward hoping to meet Darragh Fitzgibbon, only to inadvertently take a hurley to the face, reports the Irish Mirror.
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The three-time All-Star was locked in an embrace with a team-mate and remained completely oblivious to the young supporter positioned on the opposite side of the duo.
The youngster crumpled to the turf clutching his face, going unnoticed by the celebrating Cork players.
What followed demonstrated genuine class from Tipperary stalwart Noel McGrath, who spotted the injured child. He approached immediately to assess the boy’s condition and made certain he received appropriate attention from ground stewards.
MacInnes, who graduated from a Western Australian acting academy in 2021, plays one of the two lead characters in The Deb, a musical comedy set in the Australian outback, having starred in a theatre production of the play in 2022. The movie was released in Australia this month.
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan moved ahead Monday with preparations for a new round of talks between the United States and Iran days before a tenuous ceasefire is set to expire, even as renewed conflict around the Strait of Hormuz raised questions about whether the meeting would take place.
Over the weekend, the U.S. attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel that it said had tried to evade its blockade of Iranian ports. Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond, and its Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi told his Pakistani counterpart that American threats to Iranian ships and ports were “clear signs” of Washington’s disingenuousness ahead of the planned talks, Iran state media reported.
With tensions flaring and the ceasefire due to expire midweek, Pakistan has intensified diplomatic contacts with both Washington and Tehran over the past 24 hours with the goal of resuming the talks on Tuesday as planned, according to two Pakistani officials involved in the preparations. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said American negotiators would head to the Pakistani capital on Monday, but it was not immediately clear whether those plans would now change.
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Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran on Monday that there were no plans yet to attend the talks with the U.S. But at the same time, he did not rule it out.
“We have no plans for the next round of negotiations and no decision has been made in this regard,” Baghaei said.
Iran on Saturday said it had received new proposals from the United States but suggested a wide gap remained between the sides. It was unclear whether either side had shifted stances on issues that derailed the last round of negotiations, including Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, its regional proxies and the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran throttled traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the open seas, shortly after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28 to start the war. The U.S. has also instituted a blockade of Iranian ports.
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Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil trade normally passes through the strait, along with critical supplies of fertilizer for the world’s farmers, natural gas and humanitarian supplies for places in dire need like Afghanistan and Sudan.
Iran says more than 3,000 have been killed in country so far
Since the war started, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran, according to a new toll released Monday in official Iranian media by Abbas Masjedi, the head of Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization. He did not break down casualties among civilians and security forces, instead just saying that 2,875 were male and 496 were female. Masjedi said 383 of the dead were children 18 years old and under.
Oil prices recovered slightly following Iran’s announcement that the strait was being reopened a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon took hold on Friday.
But then Trump said the U.S. blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S. and on Sunday the military seized the Iranian cargo ship, the first interception since the blockade began last week.
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Iran’s joint military command called the armed boarding an act of piracy and a ceasefire violation, the state broadcaster said, and vowed to again enforce restrictions imposed early in the war. Already on Saturday, Iran fired at ships trying to transit.
Oil prices were up again in early trading on Monday, with Brent crude, the international standard, at about $95 a barrel — up more than 30% from the day the war started.
Iran early Monday warned it could keep up the global economic pain as ships remained unable to transit the strait, with hundreds of vessels waiting at each end for clearance.
Security of the strait is not free and “the choice is clear: either a free oil market for all, or the risk of significant costs for everyone,” Mohammad Reza Aref, first vice president of Iran, said in a social media post calling for a lasting end to military and economic pressure on Tehran.
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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Rising from Bangkok.
Deputy High Court judge Sarah Clarke KC said in a judgment on Monday: “I find that neither Ms Parry nor Ms Gourlay deliberately concealed any of their disputed items from the claimant and even if I am wrong about that, Mr Winehouse could have discovered what disputed items the defendants had with reasonable diligence.”
Counter-terror police are leading probes into recent multiple arson and attempted arson attacks in north-west London .
The deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Matt Jukes said premises “linked to Britain’s Jewish community and to those who oppose the Iranian regime have been targeted”.
Counter-terror officers are looking into whether the series of arson attacks have been carried out by Iranian proxies, Vicki Evans, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said on Sunday.
Sir Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” by the spate of “antisemitic” attacks.
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“This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain”, the Prime Minister said following the latest attack in which the Kenton United Synagogue, Harrow, was targeted.
The “firebombing” was one of a string of attacks in recent weeks that has seen the president of The United Synagogue declare “an epidemic of anti-Jewish hate”.
Here’s a rundown of the recent incidents:
March 23: Attack on Hatzola ambulances
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The vehicles, operated by charity Hatzola, each worth £250,000 were destroyed.
investigators have probed claims that Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia was behind the attack.
A video was posted on Telegram featuring a map of the location where the ambulances were kept and footage of them on fire.
Four people have been charged in connection with the attack.
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The burnt out remains of Hatzola ambulances at the Jewish Community Ambulance service in Golders Green
Jamie Lashmar/PA Wire
April 15: Petrol bombs thrown at synagogue
Neither bottle ignited and no damage was reported. There were no injuries.
A man, 46, and woman, 47, were arrested on suspicion of arson endangering life. They were released on bail.
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Forensic police officers investigate a suspected firebomb outside Finchley Reform Synagogue on April 15
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April 15: Attack on Persian media company
Three people, including a 16-year-old boy, have appeared in court charged in connection with an attempted firebombing on a Persian media company in north-west London.
Oisin McGuinness, 21, Nathan Dunn, 19, and a 16-year-old boy appeared side by side in the dock at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday charged with arson with intent to endanger life.
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The Metropolitan Police said officers on patrol were told at about 8.30pm on April 15 that an “ignited container” had been thrown towards the site in Wembley, landing in a car park where the fire immediately went out.
The offices of Volant Media, the parent company of Persian news channel Iran International, known for its critical coverage of Iran’s government, were targeted.
April 18: Attack on former charity premises
Police and the London Fire Brigade were called at 10:31pm on April 17 after a man set three bottles “containing fluid” alight outside a row of shops.
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The suspect set fire to the items in a plastic bag after but fled the scene after they failed to fully ignite.
Minor damage was caused to the building that was previously used by educational charity Jewish Futures and no injuries were reported.
Police forensic officers investigate the scene of an attempted arson attack in Hendon
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April 19: ‘Firebomb’ attack on synagogue in Kenton
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A “bottle with some sort of accelerant” was “thrown through the window” of Kenton United Synagogue, Harrow, the Metropolitan Police said.
Smoke was seen inside a room at the synagogue after officers spotted damage to the window at around midnight.
Video that seems to be from Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia shows a person in dark clothing lighting an item and throwing it at the synagogue before running away.
Two teenagers, a 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man, have since been arrested in connection with the incident.
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A spokesperson for the Met Police said on Monday morning that the pair remain in custody.
A police officer outside the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow following the arson attack
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