Counter-terrorism officers have arrested two people in connection with an alleged arson attack at a former synagogue in Tower Hamlets

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Counter-terrorism detectives investigating a suspected arson attack at a former synagogue in east London have arrested two people.

A 45-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were apprehended on Sunday (May 10) on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson and remain in police custody. Officers were alerted at approximately 5.15am on May 5 by the London Fire Brigade following reports of a blaze at a former synagogue in Nelson Street, Tower Hamlets, reports the Mirror.

“CCTV enquiries indicated that the fire was started intentionally at around 05:10hrs,” the Metropolitan Police said. “Given the nature and location of the incident, the investigation has been led by Counter Terrorism Policing [CTP] London.”

Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of CTP London, said: “Today’s arrests are a significant step in our investigation into this attack and our enquiries are ongoing.”

“Our aim continues to arrest and charge all those responsible for the arson attacks and other incidents targeted at Jewish, Israeli and Iranian sites in recent weeks. We will not tolerate these hateful attacks on communities.

“While counter-terrorism officers continue to work closely with Metropolitan Police colleagues to provide protective security advice and support to various organisations, community venues and businesses, everyone can play their part to keep themselves and their communities safe.”

She encouraged anyone with worries about suspicious activity to contact police.

Detective Superintendent Oliver Richter, responsible for policing across Hackney and Tower Hamlets, stated: “This attack happened at a synagogue in the process of being sold to a local Somali Muslim organisation, and I know that those of all faiths in the local area have felt targeted and together condemn this horrendous act.”

He continued: “I want to reiterate that no hate crime, no matter who it is against, will be tolerated. It is completely unacceptable and has no place here.”

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that in the wake of the alleged assault on Hatzola Ambulance in March, alongside several other incidents, 33 individuals have been detained as part of various CTP inquiries.

Among them, eight have been charged with offences, including a 17-year-old boy who has pleaded guilty to arson following an attack on Kenton United Synagogue in Shaftsbury Avenue, Harrow, on April 18.

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Today, we look at a surpirsise move from Labour MP Catherine West. She’s called for cabinet ministers to challenge Keir Starmer’s leadership – threatening to do so herself if they don’t.

Laura and Paddy are joined by Henry to discuss she is, why she’s doing it, and how dangerous it could be for the prime minister.

They also look ahead to next week as the prime minister prepares to make a speech tomorrow, and what we could hear at the state opening of UK Parliament by King Charles on Wednesday.

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It is a huge game for both ends of the Premier League table on Sunday at the London Stadium as West Ham host Arsenal.

The Gunners are top of the table with three games to play and the fate of the title in their own hands, but cannot afford to slip up.

Manchester City are just two points behind and will be ready to pounce if Arsenal offer them the opportunity to do so.

West Ham will be in no mood to give their London rivals a boost, though, as they have a relegation battle on their hands.

The Hammers are a point adrift of safety and would love to pile the pressure on Tottenham by leapfrogging them with a win over Arsenal.

Spurs play on Monday night when they host Leeds and will be under far less strain in that fixture if West Ham are still below them.

Metro’s LIVE matchday blog will bring you all the build-up, confirmed team news and starting XIs, goal updates and minute-by-minute coverage

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Manager Hansi Flick will take charge of Barcelona in Sunday’s El Clasico against Real Madrid despite the death of his father.

Tributes will be paid at the Nou Camp, with a minute’s silence before kick-off (20:00 BST) and players wearing black armbands during the game.

Announcing the death on Sunday afternoon, Barcelona said: “FC Barcelona and the entire blaugrana family wish to send all our love to Hansi Flick after the passing of his father.

“We share in your sorrow and our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.”

Flick, 61, can deliver back-to-back La Liga titles for Barcelona with a win or draw against Real.

The former Bayern Munich and Germany manager has won four trophies with Barcelona since replacing Xavi in May 2024.

Their fierce rivals from Madrid said in a statement: “Real Madrid, its president and its directors deeply regret the death of the father of Hansi Flick.

“Real Madrid wants to express its condolences and affection to their families and all their loved ones. Rest in peace.”

Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay said it was “likely” Q Manivannan would get a renewal

A Scottish Greens MSP will have to secure a new visa to serve a full term at Holyrood. Co-leader Gillian Mackay confirmed Q Manivannan – one of two trans MSPs elected last week – will need to apply for a visa renewal.

Dr Manivannan is reported to have lived in Scotland since 2021, with speculation on social media that they are in the UK on a student visa.

Asked if Dr Manivannan is able to serve the full five-year term at Holyrood, Mackay said: “There will have to be a renewal of Q’s visa. That is a process they will have to complete over the session of Parliament.”

She said Holyrood had “specifically passed legislation to allow people like Q to be able to stand and be MSPs”.

Pressed on the prospect of the new MSP being refused a renewed visa by the Home Office, Mackay said: “I don’t think it is likely that will happen.”

She said the Greens will do “anything we can do to support Q” with the renewal process.

Manivannan was one of 15 Greens MSPs elected in what was the party’s best ever election result.

Mackay said her party had “returned some fantastic MSPs”, adding: “I can’t wait to see what they are all going to achieve this session.

“I am actually interested in what we can deliver for Scotland, making sure we do push for those things that do put money back into people’s pockets, that tackle those twin crises of the climate emergency and the cost-of-living crisis and make sure that Scotland is that kinder, fairer place.”

A man named Joey Graceffa shared the moment he rushed to his local animal rescue to save the life of a pregnant dog who was about to be put down, and she has the sweetest reaction

A man has shared his experience of rushing to rescue a pregnant German Shepard dog from his local animal shelter, as she was next on the list to be put down. And the dog’s reaction will melt your heart.

While animal shelters offer a great opportunity to give pets such as dogs and cats a second chance in finding their forever home, they are often a lot more busy than they are built for.

Most animal shelters will report that the summer months as well as the months after a big holiday are their busiest months. During these times, intake rates often rise while adoptions may dip, creating severe overcrowding in their facilities.

This leads to the shelters having to put some of their animals down to make room for other pets, especially for the pets who may have struggled in being adopted. In times like these, volunteers often step up to bring the at-risk pets home in an attempt to save their lives.

One of these people is Joey Graceffa, an influencer in Los Angeles who often takes to social media to document the process of rescuing at risk dogs and bringing them home to help them find their forever homes. In a recent TikTok video, Joey said he was about to rescue a pregnant German Shepard dog who was just days away from going into labour.

“I’m here at the animal shelter because a pregnant dog was posted that is on the euthanasia list and they’re about to put her down, so let’s go see if we can rescue her and get her out of here,” Joey said at the start of his video, as he was sat in his car outside the animal shelter.

The video then cut to show the dog in question, who was laying on a bed inside the shelter, with a panicked look in her eyes while breathing heavily, clearly feeling stressed.

The door to her cage opened and she quickly stood to her feet to come out. The video then cut again to the dog now being on a lead as they walked out of the shelter, with dogs barking in cages on both side of their path. The female dog looked unsure of what to do, as she did follow the shelter worker out of the room, but tried her best to get out of the lead, clearly not trusting where they were going.

But her demeanour changed the moment Joey walked with her outside of the shelter and towards his car, she kept walking as close to him as possible. The video then cut once again to her sitting nicely inside the crate Joey had in his car.

“Oh my god, your eyes are so beautiful,” Joey told her as she looked around behind him. He then lifted the crate out of his car, before letting her out into his garage to explore.

“Okay, come one,” he said encouraging. She slowly walked out of the crate, showing off her big baby bump, before running back into the garage to hide in a corner.

“You could just tell that she ad a lot of anxiety and she’d clearly been through a lot in her life and earning her trust is going to take some work, but I was up for the challenge,” Joe said as the clip continued to show the nervous dog slowly walk up to Joey’s hand to get some pets.

He then took the opportunity after having earned some trust from her to give her a bath outside in the garden, as Joey said she was really dirty and smelled bad. He then took her back into the garden to explore on her own.

“And I think that’s when something shifted and she finally felt safe and, I got my first kiss from her you guys,” he said as the clip showed her snuggled up against his legs before giving his hand some kisses. “She even rolled over and showed me her belly, and you could just see the stress evaporate from her. And I’m just so glad that I got her out of that shelter, and now we’re ready for puppies.”Ju

Just two days later, Joey returned to his TikTok to share that the dog had successfully delivered nine puppies, and the happy family is still being pampered and treated with love by Joey.

The former Coronation Street star has paid an emotional tribute to the The Only Way Is Essex cast member following his tragic death

Ryan Thomas has shared the last message he received from reality TV star Jake Hall following his tragic death, aged 35.

The former Coronation Street star had taken to social media to pay tribute to the The Only Way Is Essex (Towie) cast member, who was found dead on Wednesday at a holiday villa in Majorca.

The message was shared to his 1.3 million Instagram followers along with a black-and-white video compilation of himself with Hall, describing him as always being the “coolest guy in the room”.

Ryan emotionally wrote: “The moment I met Jake, I was in awe of him. I found myself gravitating towards him. He was always the coolest guy in the room, he had class, charisma, this magic about him that nobody else had. Anyone who met him, even once, remembered him forever.”

The actor told of how he used to call Hall “nearly every day” to remind him “how special he was and how much happiness he brought people”. He also recalled how it “took a while” for the pair to become friends, but once they were they became inseparable, adding: “The deep chats, the hysterical laughs even the petty fallouts — we shared it all. We had the same morals, the same family values, and the same outlook on life: we genuinely wanted people around us to win.”

Ryan also joked that Hall would have told him to “shut up” if he could read the lengthy tribute, as he continued: “For all the people that admired his talent, what mattered most to him was always his family. He idolised his dad, adored his mum, and loved his little brother more than words could ever explain.”

Referring to the TV star’s eight-year-old daughter River, who he shares with Real Housewives of Cheshire star Missie Beqiri, he added: “His next chapter is written in the stars now and it’s all about River. I promise she’ll grow up surrounded by love and stories about how inspiring and powerful her daddy is.”

Ryan, who is famed for having played Jason Grimshaw in ITV’s Corrie, concluded the post by revealing the last text he received from Hall, and said he was sending the message back. It read: “I love you mate. More than you’ll ever know.”

Hall, who ran a menswear brand, By Jake Hall, joined the cast of Towie in 2015, and dated co-star Chloe Lewis before quitting in 2024. He also dated Misse, with whom he has a daughter, River, eight.

Tributes have poured in for Hall over the last few days, and the mother of his child posted a message to Instagram on Saturday saying that her and her daughter’s hearts were “shattered”.

Albanian model Misse shared photos of herself, Hall and their daughter together and said that the influx of messages following his death is “both heartbreaking and beautiful all at once”. She also told of how she loved Hall from “the very first moment I saw you”, and said: “You left behind your mini version, our River, and for that we are forever grateful. You will always live on through her, and you will forever be with us.”

Det Supt Oliver Richter, who leads policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said: “This attack happened at a synagogue in the process of being sold to a local Somali Muslim organisation, and I know that those of all faiths in the local area have felt targeted and together condemn this horrendous act.

Michael Marra and Paul Sweeney are the MSPs party insiders say could square off if there is a vacancy.

Anas Sarwar’s departure as Scottish Labour leader is inevitable.

Leaders cannot survive the sort of drubbing he presided over on Friday and his five years in charge will end sooner rather than later.

The failures of Keir Starmer were the overwhelming cause of Labour’s Holyrood election defeat.

But Sarwar ran a poor campaign and with leadership comes accountability.

His “safety first” manifesto was tepid and focusing on 38 seats was a strategic blunder.

A better campaign may only have secured a couple of extra seats, but Sarwar knows he needs to own his mistakes.

The question is who will bid to succeed Sarwar after he completes his unfinished business with Scottish Labour.

READ MORE: Scottish Labour MP urges Anas Sarwar and Jackie Baillie to quit after election ‘disaster’READ MORE: John Swinney vows IndyRef2 bid restart within days after SNP sweep to victory

Although deputy leader Jackie Baillie is formidable, she is a major shareholder in Sarwar Inc and would be seen as the continuity candidate.

The two most likely contenders are MSPs who snuck back into Holyrood on Friday by fine margins.

Dundonian Michael Marra, a List MSP in the North East, was a left-winger as a student who was opposed to Tony Blair and the Iraq War.

The 46 year old was even a member of the Campaign for Socialism, an internal group widely loathed by party moderates.

But Marra has unquestionably moved rightwards since his student days, although one ally says he remains on the “pragmatic” Left.

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If he was leader, he would be less of a populist than Sarwar and more willing to adopt controversial positions.

As a sceptic of the SNP’s gender recognition Bill, it is not impossible to imagine him apologising for Labour’s previous support for the legislation.

Allies would also expect him to champion the oil and gas industry, rather than fudge the issue.

Sweeney, 37, is another MSP who has been on a political journey during a career that has spanned Westminster and Holyrood.

The Glasgow MSP was a critic of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn before partially buying into a project that was rejected by voters.

He is now seen as being on the party’s soft Left.

Sweeney’s admirers say he is a good communicator with the skills to reach younger voters who do not give Labour a second look.

He also has distance from the Sarwar project and could credibly portray himself as the clean hands candidate.

Others say he needs to talk less about Glasgow heritage – a niche issue for most of the country.

Regardless of who succeeds Sarwar, the real issue for Scottish Labour is who and what they stand for.

Reform UK picked up sizable support last week from older voters who are fed up with the mainstream parties.

The Greens did likewise with younger people while the SNP still have a lock on a large chunk of the pro-independence vote.

Who does Labour stand for in 2026? And how can any message connect to voters while they are tied to the UK party?

Answering those questions will be the job of Scottish Labour’s eleventh leader in the devolved era.