JERUSALEM (AP) — Bahrain activated its sirens early Friday, warning residents to shelter from detected fire hours after the U.S. military said it had wrapped up its 13th night of strikes against Iran.

The Gulf states have come under frequent fire over the past week as the U.S. and Iran exchange escalating strikes in fighting that began with a struggle over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The previous day, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, potentially widening the Iran war as international oil topped $100 a barrel.

Blasts were also reported Thursday on Iran’s Qeshm Island, home to stores of naval assets including drone boats that Iran can use to attack vessels on the Strait of Hormuz, as well as to the northwest near Andimeshk, Omidiyeh and Firuzabad. Four people were killed and five wounded in a U.S. missile attack on the outskirts of Ahvaz on the Karun River, Iranian state media said.

U.S. Central Command said the latest barrage was designed to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters” as the Americans push to regain control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas transited in peacetime. It said the strikes ended shortly before 5 a.m. local time Friday.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi of Iraq, which has close ties to both the U.S. and Iran, was in Tehran on Thursday to call for peace and dialogue. He promised not to allow Iraqi territory to be used for attacks on Iran, his office said. Al-Zaidi met with Trump earlier this month in Washington.

Houthis threaten to shut second key shipping route

Meanwhile, the Houthis threatened to shut down another key trade route with the world economy already reeling from Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a vital shipping chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Around 12% of the world’s trade, including a fourth of global container traffic, passes through there, moving between Europe and Asia via Egypt’s Suez Canal.

The Houthi attacks put at risk oil shipments from Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port on the Red Sea and present a “double whammy” on top of the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, said maritime data and analysis firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence. Saudi Arabia has diverted millions of barrels a day of oil exports to Yanbu via an overland pipeline as the war has bottled up the Persian Gulf.

President Donald Trump threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if their attacks on ships continue.

As the rhetoric escalated, so did economic fallout. The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, spiked more than 6% to about $100 a barrel. That’s the highest level since May, before the two sides reached a preliminary peace agreement last month that has since collapsed.

Both sides dig in over Strait of Hormuz

Iran says it has the right to manage traffic and potentially charge fees in the Strait of Hormuz, which was open to all toll-free before the war. It has attacked ships using a route through the strait that is overseen by U.S. forces and intended to be outside Tehran’s control.

Trump said on social media Thursday that sanctioned Iranian funds in the possession of the U.S. will cover the expense of fixing boats damaged in the war.

“Please let this statement serve to represent, until further notice, that from this point forth, any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls,” Trump said.

It was unclear what legal mechanisms Trump would use to access and spend the funds, but he said that doing so would be “the fair and equitable thing to do.”

Suri Cruise is following in the acting footsteps of her famous parents Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes by taking on a role in an iconic William Shakespeare play.

The 20-year-old, who is majoring in musical theater at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will appear in Midsummer!, a contemporary adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, per Page Six.

Suri, whose mom has a new romance with younger man Jason Bard Yarmosky, will perform in the 90-minute production alongside other classmates at the Trust Arts Education Center’s Peirce Studio in Pittsburgh, which accommodates a maximum capacity of 175 people.

The show will play two nights, July 31 and August 1. Following these exclusive previews, the production will head overseas for a UK run at the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe from August 7 through August 31.

Though it was previously reported she was leaning towards a degree in fashion, it appears that Suri has fully embraced her thespian roots.

In her senior year at high school, she portrayed Philoclea in Head Over Heels and starred as Morticia Addams in The Addams Family: A New Musical.

The 20-year-old, who is majoring in musical theater at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylania, has the unwavering support of Holmes; the two are pictured in New York City in August 2025 

This past March, she took on the character Angel in Cosmic Microwave Background, a staged play presented at the New Hazlett Theater in Pittsburgh as part of its CSA: Off the Page reading series.

During her graduation ceremony from LaGuardia High School, Suri dropped her father’s surname and used Suri Noelle as a tribute to her mother, whose middle name is Noelle. So, it’s a good guess what name she will be billed as in this latest venture.

Suri and the Mission: Impossible star, 64, who is still a dedicated and active member of the Church of Scientology, remain estranged. They have not had any semblance of a father-daughter relationship for over a decade.

Holmes and Cruise divorced in August 2012 after little more than six years of marriage.

Since then, Suri has lived with her mother, who previously told InStyle her main goal has been to nurture her daughter into her own person and making sure she is ‘100 percent herself and strong, confident, and able.’

Suri has the unwavering support of Holmes, who recruited her to sing over the opening credits of her 2022 film Alone Together and said at the time that she hoped she would continue down a showbiz path.

‘I hope she always does something on my films. I always ask her… you have these projects and you become a family with people. And it’s this safe, beautiful, creative space,’ the Dawson’s Creek alum told Glamour.

An insider previously told the Daily Mail about Suri’s early days at college: ‘She is a smart girl, and she is turning into a very intelligent mature young woman. She has a very close group of loyal friends, and she knows exactly where she comes from.’

Suri appears to be headed down a showbiz path already tread by Holmes (seen on June 8) and Cruise (seen in May 2025)

Holmes and Cruise – seen here in June 2005 – were divorced in August 2012 after little more than six years of marriage

Suri – pictured with Holmes in December 2017 – lives with her mother and remains estranged from Cruise

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The Mission: Impossible star is said to be paying Suri’s annual university tuition of $65,000

Another source said Suri’s mother was ‘overwhelmed’ at the prospect of Suri being away from home: ‘Katie takes great pride in her but is also extremely over-protective.’

Cruise, meanwhile, is said to be paying Suri’s annual university tuition of $65,000.

‘Tom is indeed paying for Suri’s tuition – he has always paid for her schooling and would never stop as he is a stand-up guy,’ an insider previously revealed to The Daily Mail.

‘He has never hesitated paying his daughter’s child support and expenses. He does not go back on his word. He is fulfilling his obligation.’

Katie Price has vowed to hold her conman husband Lee Andrew to account when he leaves prison after his family denounced the incarcerated ‘businessman’.

The glamour model, 48, spoke to her sister Sophie on their podcast about her husband of seven months, who is currently locked up in Dubai‘s Al Awir prison for a second time after being hit with fraud claims. 

Days after Lee was heard reportedly trying to sell a sex tape of the couple, her sister branded him ‘a disrespectful d***head’ to which Katie insisted she would ‘delve deep’ into claims about his fraudulent activities. 

Her vow comes after Lee’s family turned against him, with his sister Kelly and friends releasing a statement about his ‘incredibly painful’ behaviour. 

In her latest podcast clip, Katie said: ‘In fact, I’m going to get Ben [the producer of Katie’s podcast] to interview him and Ben is going to delve in deep and I want to hear everything and it’s too much and I don’t like people hurting people.

The glamour model, 47, spoke to her sister Sophie on their podcast about her husband of seven months, who is currently locked up in Dubai’s Al Awir prison for a second time after being hit with fraud claims

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‘That’s all I’m saying on it, I’ve not put anything up online, so you’ve heard it here for the first time.’

Talk turned to the reports that emerged claiming a voice note allegedly sent by Lee to a friend captured him discussing a sex tape that ‘might go for a pretty penny’. 

In the alleged recording, Lee reportedly says he needs to ‘get cash quickly’ and suggests the tape could earn him £250,000. He reportedly backtracked when he learnt that it would be illegal, saying he had only been joking. 

When the sisters discussed the scenario, Sophie said: ‘I think that’s disgusting,’ to which Katie replied: ‘Can I just say something, number one I’ve not done a sex tape with Lee . He has said it in a voicenote which I sent to you but he was joking in it…

‘But besides all of this, there is so much coming out about Lee and everyone saying ‘why isn’t Kate talking’. Do you know why I’m not talking, because there is so much, I’m just not commenting anymore.

‘I commented when he went missing but he’s in prison and I will be questioning him about a lot of things when he’s out. I’m just getting on doing what I’m doing. There is so much, there is no smoke without fire.’

Sophie responded: ‘The fact that he’s even talking about you in that context to his mates is f***ing out of order and he’s a d***head’

Lee is currently languishing in jail for the second time 

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Sophie responded: ‘The fact that he’s even talking about you in that context to his mates is f***ing out of order and he’s a d***head,’ to which Katie interjected: ‘Well, it wasn’t to his mates, it was someone professional’. 

A clearly outraged Sophie replied: ‘Even worse.’

Following the sex tape scandal, Lee’s family have also spoken out. 

Lee’s family statement came from a friend on behalf of his sister. The statement read: ‘Kelly Andrews and I just want to take a moment to speak the truth. Recent information shared has brought forward evidence that has left us both shocked…

‘We are the first to admit when we’re wrong, and now that there is proof, we feel it’s important to acknowledge that. We also want people to understand that this involves Kelly’s brother, which makes this incredibly painful for their family…

‘The Lee we knew was never like this, which makes it even harder for us, as his sister and as a friend, to get our heads around everything that’s come to light.’ 

Despite the fractious nature of the situation, Katie still seemed to be seeing the good in her husband as she took to Facebook to share an image of his widely-discussed hair growth. 

Sharing an image of Lee, she placed a message over the top reading ‘My man’, while circling the side of his hair and writing: ‘Hair growth journey. Handsome husband’. 

Lee left fans dumbfounded when he left prison with a full head of hair – having gone in with a thinning thatch and discussion of having a hair transplant.  

Despite the fractious nature of the situation, Katie still seemed to be seeing the good in her husband as she took to Facebook to share an image of his widely-discussed hair growth

The US is moving special operations forces, weapons and medics to the Middle East to give president Donald Trump broader military options as he considers widening the conflict against Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials.

In the past week, special operations forces have deployed to the region from US bases, according to flight-tracking data and officials. Squadrons of jet fighters have been staged across the Middle East, and bomber aircraft at bases in the US and UK are on high alert, the Journal reported.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump has warned that attacks on ships in Middle Eastern waterways will be paid for by Iranian cash that he controls.

“Any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls.

“These damages may be very substantial but, nevertheless, this is the fair and equitable thing to do”, the US president wrote on Truth Social Thursday.

Earlier, Trump said he was seriously considering restarting major combat operations in Iran, including strikes that would be bigger than the ones carried out earlier this year.

He told Axios: “They haven’t received enough pain yet.”

The professor died in January this year

An Oxford professor died at his home in Cambridgeshire, an inquest opening has heard. Professor Stephen David Baxter, 56, was a Baron Fellow and tutor in Medieval history at St Peter’s College for the University of Oxford.

Prof Baxter, who lived in Bourn, Cambridgeshire, died on January 16 this year. An inquest was opened into his death on Thursday (July 23) by Coroner Simon Milburn at Vantage House in Huntingdon.

Mr Milburn said that Professor Baxter was found dead at his home in Bourn. The coroner adjourned the case for an inquest to be held on November 10 and offered his condolences to the family and friends of Prof Baxter.

After his death in January, staff from St Peter’s College paid tribute to him. They described Prof Baxter as a “distinguished historian, a dedicated tutor and a generous colleague”.

The professor completed an undergraduate degree in modern history at Wadham College in Oxford, graduating in 1991. He later worked in London and spent three years as a research analyst with the PA Consulting Group, before moving onto Schroders in 1995.

He held many teaching positions throughout his academic career, including as a medieval history lecturer at King’s College in London. He was elected a Barron Fellow and tutor in Medieval history at St Peter’s College in 2014. In 2020, he was awarded the title of Professor of Medieval History by the University of Oxford.

Luke Lane was outside playing when a teen crashed into him with an e-bike.

A mum has demanded a crackdown on e-bike thugs after her little boy was mown down on the street.

Luke Lane, 9, was left with concussion and cuts all over his body after a teenager riding one of the vehicles crashed into him outside his house on Queens Drive in Hawick on Monday night.

The schoolboy was lad treated at the scene by ambulance crews before later being rushed to Borders General Hospital for a CT scan after suffering a bout of sickness following the ordeal.

His mum, Yvonne Dobson, told the Record that Luke was returning from a play date at a neighbour’s house when the incident unfolded.

The 35-year-old said: “I had just called him in for the night and was standing at the window watching him cross the road. A teenage boy suddenly appeared riding the e-bike at considerable speed and before I could react, it smacked into him.

“Luke went flying into the air and hit his head on the pavement. I rushed out into the street and he was lying there out cold.

“I feared the worst at that point, but when I rolled him onto his side he came to and burst into tears.

“He was given the all clear at the hospital after his scan but he is really shaken up.

“His head and pelvis are badly swollen but it could have been so much worse.

“He is at home at least but feeling really lethargic so hopefully there will be no lasting effects.

“He should be out enjoying the summer holidays but it will take him time to recover from all of this now.”

Yvonne said youths in the town have been running riot on the bikes and putting members of the public in danger.

She also told how police told her the bike that hit Luke had been modified to drive faster than the legal road-riding limit of 15mph in Scotland.

The mum-of-three is now calling for better regulation of those using and owning the vehicles and urged local parents to think twice before buying them for their children.

She continued: “The authorities need to do something to clamp down on this issue.

“People driving e-bikes should have a driving licence and be registered.

“I also want parents to know these bikes can be deadly. My child could have been killed.”

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson said “We received a call at 20:01 on Monday 20 July to attend a road traffic collision on Queen Drive, Hawick. We dispatched an ambulance to the scene.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 8.05pm on Monday, 20 July, 2026, we received a report of a 9-year-old boy struck by an electric bike on Queens Drive, Hawick

“Ambulance attended, however, he did not require hospital treatment.

“A 15-year-old male youth has been charged in connection with road traffic offences and the bike was seized.

“A report will be forwarded to the relevant agencies.”

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The popular Cambridge festival was cancelled in 2025 due to ‘financial losses’

Visitors will see new changes to the format of a popular Cambridge festival as it returns after a year off due to “financial losses”. The Cambridge Folk Festival was cancelled in 2025 after losing more than £320,000 in 2024.

However, the festival will make a triumphant return to Cherry Hinton Hall on Saturday, August 1, and Sunday, August 2. This year’s event will see some changes from the previous years, as it will be held for two days instead of the usual four.

Other differences include a change to the site plan at Cherry Hinton Hall, as well as more events held up in the lead up to the bigger event. Becky Burrell, marketing and strategic lead, said some changes have been made as organisers had to be “realistic with costs”.

She said: “The site will look different. We have changed the site plan to make means of access easier. Changing the site plan has allowed us the flexibility to access the facilities easier. We still have two main stages and have bars for food and drink. It’s what people are used to, but with a new layout.”

Events including open mic nights and comedy events have been held throughout July as a build-up to the festival. Becky said these events have been “quite popular”.

She added: “Some of those have been sold out. We have yet to do the analysis, but I certainly think we have attracted new and different audiences and hopefully something for local people.”

Becky described the festival as an “institution” for Cambridge, as it has been held in the city for over 60 years. She and the rest of the organisers are “excited” for it to go ahead.

Becky said: “We feel very lucky that we have the continued support. It sold out in May, which was great. Not many people have a local festival on their doorstep. We are here to serve the residents.”

Space NK is set to open this autumn in the former JD Sports in Coney Street, according to signs put up on the outside of the building.

The beauty chain’s plans to convert the store stated works would include refurbishments to the outside and inside of the empty store.

City of York Council planning officers stated works including the installation of three new air conditioning units would not harm the Grade II-listed building.

The approval of the company’s plans comes as works are currently underway to convert the store ahead of its opening.

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It also comes after previous occupants JD Sports moved out of the Coney Street building and into a larger store in Davygate last year.

Space NK is returning to York after also previously having a premises in Davygate in what is now the TAG Heuer watch shop.

Previous fixtures and fittings are currently being removed in the Coney Street store ahead of Space NK’s opening.

They are due to be replaced with new floor, wall and ceiling finishes, lighting, ventilation and air condition and a ground floor platform lift.

Company branding planned for the outside of the store includes hanging facia signs and a flag.

Stickers currently up in its windows.

An impression showing how Space NK, in Coney Street, could look (Image: LDRS)

Space NK was founded in 1991 and opened its first store in London’s Covent Garden in 1993.

It now has 83 stores across the UK and Ireland.

Developer Max Reeves, of Helmsley Group which is overseeing the wider regeneration of Coney Street, told The Press the store’s opening was a vote of confidence in the area’s future.

He added that while demand for retail was still there, people’s expectations and what they wanted from the sector had changed.

The developer said: “York is such an attractive destination that there’s still massive interest in the city from all sorts of different retailers.”

On Thursday afternoon, British actor Jaime Winstone was revealed as the latest star on the line-up, ahead of the show’s return to our screens in the autumn.

“I am so excited to announce that I will be joining the Strictly Come Dancing cast this year,” she enthused. “I am no stranger to a dance floor, but the ballroom is a whole new world for me.”

She added: “I love a challenge though, so can’t wait to enter my showgirl era and get super sparkly!! Let’s get physical – see you on the dance floor!”

Jaime is best known for her performances in projects like Kidulthood, Powder Room and Tomb Raider, as well as being the daughter of fellow actor Ray Winstone.

She also won acclaim for her performance as Dame Barbara Windsor in the TV biopic Babs, subsequently playing the late actor’s iconic EastEnders character Peggy Mitchell in a special episode of the long-running BBC soap.

In addition to her acting career, Jaime does have some reality TV experience already, having competed in ITV’s The Masked Singer back in 2022.

Police Scotland have appeal for victims of police officer Alan Greer to come forward. Greer is suspected of a series of attacks on women including rapes over a 14 years period

Women’s safety groups have called for a full investigation into sex predator cop Alan Greer with one comparing him to Wayne Couzens.

Greer is being investigated over allegations that he carried out a series of sexual assaults and attempted murders of women over a 14 year period while off duty, before his death in May.

The whistle was blown on the PC after a woman he is said to have raped in her home in Glasgow in 2012 came forward at the end of last year.

Detectives have so far uncovered a further eight victims, five of whom were women involved in prostitution.

Couzens was a Metropolitan Police officer who was jailed for the rape and murder of Sarah Everard in London five years ago.

Rape Crisis Scotland external affairs manager Nicola Love said: “This is a really disturbing report which highlights the actions of a perpetrator who was able to repeatedly abuse his position as a police officer to carry out attacks against vulnerable women. It is very likely we will never know the full extent of what he has done.

“Alan Greer is a stain on Police Scotland in the same way that Wayne Couzens is a stain on the Met Police.

“It was the brave decision of a survivor who came forward so many years later to report what has happened to her. Her actions are ultimately what led to Greer being removed from the force and finally investigated.

“Another woman had tried to raise the alarm about Greer years earlier, and the police must be satisfied that report was investigated fully and properly at the time.

“Over the past year, as reported by the Record, we know of seven serving police officers who have been jailed in Scotland – four of those for instances of rape, sexual assault, or domestic abuse.

“Choosing to report what has happened is an incredibly difficult decision for any survivor and many women will ultimately decide not to.

“The way that the police respond to complaints of sexual violence and domestic abuse plays a huge part I whether survivors and the wider public trust them, particularly when the complaint is against someone in their own ranks.”

Dawn Brennan CEO of Glasgow women’s safety charity Wise Women said:”This is an extremely disturbing case.

“As Greer was off duty at times of attacks, it would have been challenging to recognise some of his behaviour.

“Improving our ability to recognise and respond to such attitudes is essential. It is significant that many of Greers victims were women exploited through prostitution, as these are some of the most vulnerable women in our community. “This would indicate premediated violence and abuse that was motivated by misogyny and a sense of authority and privilege.”

“If Greer was alive, it is understood police would have sought charges of attempted murder in some of the cases, due to the level of violence used against his victims.”

It has also emerged that Greer used hundreds of women involved in prostitution throughout his police career, and it’s anticipated more victims of his violence will be identified in the coming months.

Police Scotland have appealed for victims of Greer to come forward.

Assistant Chief Constable Lynn Ratcliff, said: “My thoughts, firstly, are with the victims in this case who have spoken up and reported these allegations, as well as with Alan Greer’s family, friends and colleagues who have been deeply affected by these reports and his death.

“The investigation into this matter is one of the largest and most complex enquiries ever undertaken by the Anti-Corruption Unit and significant work is ongoing to fully ascertain the extent of offending and identify and support as many victims as possible.

“Clearly Alan Greer cannot stand trial for these allegations of serious violent sexual offending, including attempted murder, but this investigation is about identifying and supporting potential victims, giving them a voice, and establishing the full circumstances.

“It is essential that members of the public, victims, and witnesses, feel confident speaking with the police and know the overwhelming majority of our officers serve with professionalism and integrity to protect people, investigate matters, and bring offenders to justice.

“I would encourage anyone with any information or who may be a victim in this case to please come forward and speak to us. You will be listened to and given the support you need.”

“Anyone with information or who thinks they may have been a victim in this case, is asked to please contact the enquiry team.”

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Greer took his own life in May 6 this year after his home in Wishaw, Lanarkshire, was raided by police in April.

Seven mobile phones and a laptop were seized during the raid, and Greer was suspended from duty and released pending further enquiries. Thousands of graphic videos and images were found.

Other victims identified include two female police officers Greer had taken inappropriate photographs of while they were training.

It is understood he used multiple pseudonyms and phones during his campaign of abuse.

Greer, who was born in Australia in 1978, joined Strathclyde Police in 2009 before it merged with Police Scotland in 2013

At first, he worked as a uniformed response officer in Glasgow before he secured a job in officer safety training, based in Coatbridge, in about 2016.

When he died in May, he was 47, with a wife and child.

Greer’s family and colleagues are understood to have been unaware of violent double life.