It was the moment that Nicola Peltz had longed for.

After years of being written about as Brooklyn Beckham’s wife, and billionaire food tycoon Nelson Peltz’s daughter, the actress was finally being handed an award for her acting work.

Smiling broadly in her dark purple Balenciaga dress at the Casa Cinema Giovani last Saturday night – as Brooklyn, her mother Claudia, father Nelson and brother Bradley all proudly looked on – she was named the Rising Star in a ceremony held at the Venice Film Festival.

For Brand Peltz-Beckham, it was a big win – not least because alongside her receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award was legendary Oscar-winning actress Faye Dunaway, 85.

‘Thank you so much for this immense honour,’ Nicola enthused. ‘To receive an award at the Venice Film Festival is something I will carry with me for the rest of my career.’

Yet behind the scenes, Nicola’s award has prompted incredulity among industry figures. They privately questioned precisely what it is she has done to merit the accolade handed to her by Kinéo, an independent organisation which stages its annual ceremony in Venice while the prestigious film festival is taking place.

Smiling broadly in her dark purple Balenciaga dress, she was named the Rising Star in a ceremony attended by Brooklyn, her mother Claudia, father Nelson and brother Bradley

After all, Nicola first appeared on screen, in a Danny DeVito comedy as we shall see, when she was 11. She is now 31 years old.

‘It is unbelievable that anyone would give Nicola a Rising Star award when she’s in her 30s,’ scoffed an industry insider.

‘That aside though, some of her films have never been released. Her super-rich father has bankrolled her career for years; it is nepotism at its absolute worst. You have to wonder whether Nelson has got something to do with this, or else family connections.’

‘Nicola has no shame though, none at all,’ the source adds. ‘There doesn’t seem to be any humility or any embarrassment at all. It’s so cringeworthy.’

It is perhaps not a surprise that the chiefs of both the Venice Film Festival and Kinéo are keeping quiet about the award.

I approached both Kinéo and the Venice Film Festival on three separate occasions within 24 hours, asking them to explain their reasons for choosing Nicola for the gong, how the decision was reached and whether she or the Peltz family had any involvement in her selection or the event.

On all occasions, both refused to comment.

Nicola’s last film Lola, which she also wrote and directed, was given only a limited theatrical and digital release, with Box Office Mojo recording a worldwide cinema gross of $648

Billionaire food tycoon Nelson spent the wait fanning himself in the heat and periodically retreating indoors, before returning to his seat to watch his daughter’s acceptance speech

Their silence has done little to quell the astonishment surrounding the award.

It is not helpful to her cause that Nicola’s acting career has so far featured two Razzie nominations – the spoof awards honouring Hollywood’s worst performances – a succession of critically savaged projects and a directorial debut which recorded a worldwide theatrical gross of just $648.

And she first received a ‘Rising Star’ award from CinemaCon back in 2014, when she was 19 and preparing for the release of Transformers: Age Of Extinction.

More than a decade later, with no recent cinematic hit and her latest film still awaiting a release date, it seems she is rising all over again!

By comparison, Jodie Foster had won two Best Actress Oscars before turning 30. Jennifer Lawrence had collected four Academy Award nominations and one win by 25, while Natalie Portman was 29 when she won for Black Swan.

By 30, Emma Stone had an Oscar and three nominations to her name.

Kinéo says its winners are chosen through a combination of public voting and an international industry jury. Yet ‘Rising Star’ does not appear among its regular listed categories, and Nicola was not included on its public ballot.

No shortlist, vote tally or particular performance behind her selection has been disclosed.

Ahead of the ceremony, Kinéo praised her on Instagram, writing: ‘In recent years, the American actress, screenwriter and producer has attracted growing international attention thanks to increasingly multifaceted roles both in front of and behind the camera.’

It was a glowing tribute, but it stopped short of naming any of those roles.

The Peltz family, meanwhile, had ample time to prepare for her big moment.

Nicola’s award was reportedly announced five times before she finally appeared, prompting one presenter to call out: ‘Where is our beautiful star?’

Brooklyn, 27, was later seen clasping his wife by the arm and guiding her towards the small podium in the gardens of the Casa Cinema Giovani.

Nelson, 84, had spent the wait fanning himself in the 30-degree heat and periodically retreating indoors, but he returned to his seat in time to watch his daughter’s acceptance speech.

Nicola’s last film was Lola, released in 2024, which she wrote, directed and starred in.

Despite being born into almost unimaginable wealth, she cast herself as an impoverished young woman working as a stripper and battling drug addiction while desperately attempting to protect her younger brother from their abusive family background.

It was given only a limited theatrical and digital release, with Box Office Mojo recording a worldwide cinema gross of $648.

The project was criticised as ‘poverty porn’ and branded a ‘vanity project’ by viewers who questioned Nicola’s understanding of the deprived world she was attempting to portray.

‘I felt like the whole movie was based around her looking pretty and giving her flattering close ups,’ said one critic, while another slammed her ‘dead-eyed’ acting.

One Instagram user told Nicola: ‘I wish rich people like yourself would stay away from trying to tell stories like this. You have no idea what this character’s reality is like.

‘I find it offensive to the working-class women who are truly living this reality that have to see a billionaire indulge themselves into a dream acting role.’

Indeed, even this deeply personal passion project arrived with an impeccable family connection.

Legendary 28-time Grammy winner Quincy Jones, the producer behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller, worked on the film’s music.

His daughter, model Kenya Kinski-Jones, 33, is married to Nicola’s elder brother Will Peltz, 40.

Nelson, meanwhile, attended the film’s Los Angeles premiere, where he was joined by his friend, controversial tech billionaire Elon Musk, 55.

The actress’s most recent television appearance came in the final episode of Ryan Murphy’s body-horror series The Beauty, which premiered in January.

The 11-part series boasted a sprawling cast including Bella Hadid, Ashton Kutcher, Evan Peters, Rebecca Hall and Meghan Trainor, but received some blistering reviews.

Metro critic Rebecca Cook awarded it one star beneath the headline: ‘Ryan Murphy’s offensive new TV show is nearly unwatchable.’

‘I was not prepared for the endurance challenge that was soldiering through these 11 episodes,’ she added.

Other reviewers accused the series of borrowing heavily from the Oscar-winning body-horror film The Substance, while describing it as ‘excessive’, ‘dumbed down’ and ‘unhinged’.

And the reception was merely the latest in a series of difficult critical encounters during Nicola’s career.

The film she made her debut in opposite Danny DeVito in the 2006 Christmas comedy Deck The Halls, currently holds a paltry 6 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Four years later, she played Katara in M Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender, which was dismissed by one critic as an ‘abomination of cinema’ and has a 5 per cent rating on the review-aggregation website.

Nicola received a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Supporting Actress for her performance.

Her biggest role came in 2014 when she appeared alongside Mark Wahlberg in Michael Bay’s Transformers: Age Of Extinction.

The blockbuster made more than $1.1billion worldwide but proved significantly less popular with critics, earning a Rotten Tomatoes score of 18 per cent.

Nicola was again nominated for Worst Supporting Actress at the Razzies.

It was during the promotional campaign for Transformers that she and co-star Jack Reynor were named CinemaCon’s Rising Stars of 2014.

Then aged 19, Nicola was being positioned as one of Hollywood’s most promising new actresses.

In the 12 years since, her credits have included supporting roles in Youth In Oregon, Back Roads, Our House and Netflix romantic comedy Holidate.

She also appeared in Bates Motel between 2013 and 2015 and had single-episode roles in Marvel series Inhumans and drama Welcome to Chippendales.

Yet despite her repeated attempts to make it in the film industry, Nicola is arguably now better known for being Nelson’s youngest daughter and for her highly publicised marriage to Brooklyn, the eldest son of Sir David and Lady Beckham. And that’s the truth whether she likes it or not.

The foreign secretary has accused Israel of “turning a blind eye” to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians living in the West Bank, who are increasingly under pressure to relocate from settlers.

“The British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank – perpetrated by settler terrorists.

“And all too often, the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this and worse, members of it have made statements and taken actions to support the forced displacement of Palestinians,” Ed Miliband said.

In what is the UK’s strongest intervention yet, the foreign secretary said it was for the courts to determine if Israel committed genocide in Gaza.

He added that he was a “proud British Jew” and insisted the UK had “unshakeable bonds” with the people of Israel, before announcing sanctions on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories.

The Israeli president Isaac Herzog has called the British plan to ban trade goods from West Bank settlements a “grave miscalculation”.

The US ambassador to Israel has also condemned the UK sanctions, describing them as “an irrational action” and “discrimination against the Jewish people”.

Tensions in the West Bank have flared in recent months, with Israeli settlers involved in violent disputes with Palestinians.

Israeli settlers are committing ethnic cleansing, Miliband says

The foreign secretary has told MPs that the UK government agree that Israeli settlers are committing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

He pointed out that while the UK has “unshakeable bonds” with the people of Israel, their argument was with the conduct of its government. He noted that in the last four years, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu had approved more settlements in the West Bank than in the previous two decades.

“Ethnic cleansing is defined by the UN as ‘a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas’.

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“The British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank – perpetrated by settler terrorists,” he said.

“And all too often, the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this and worse, members of it have made statements and taken actions to support the forced displacement of Palestinians.”

Holly Evans8 September 2026 13:35

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‘Today marks the beginning of a new approach’

Ed Miliband has said his move to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements marks the “beginning of a new approach”.

The foreign secretary told MPs on Tuesday that the “unimaginable trauma and suffering” in Gaza was “a stain on the conscience of the world and of this country too”.

He went on to say Andy Burnham’s government will being a “new approach” to relations with Israel, which “not only calls out injustice and suffering, but acts”.

“And in taking this stance, I make a very clear distinction, which is crucial for us all in this debate,” he said.

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“Our argument is not with the people of Israel, with whom the UK has unshakable bonds.

“Our argument is with the conduct of its government.”

Athena Stavrou8 September 2026 13:32

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Foreign secretary says conflict in Gaza is ‘a stain on the conscience of the world’

Ed Miliband has criticised the “unimaginable trauma” inflicted upon the population of Gaza in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks, which he also condemned.

He said: “I am proud of my Jewishness and unwavering in my support for the State of Israel. And there is absolutely no contradiction between this and my support for the State of Palestine. Indeed quite the opposite.”

He goes on to say that his belief in the two-state solution has led to a “deep sense of shame about what has unfolded in Palestine under the eyes of the international community”.

“In Gaza, the most unimaginable trauma and suffering in the last three years – death, destruction and dehumanisation on an appalling scale. A stain on the conscience of the world and of this country too.”

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Holly Evans8 September 2026 13:31

UK sanctions Hezbollah’s financing arm

The foreign secretary has announced the UK is sanctioning Hezbollah’s financing arm Al-Qard Al-Hassan.

He also says the UK and allies will be reporting Iran to the UN Security Council with allies such as the US for “nuclear violations” and imposing “major economic sanctions on “Iran in line with the EU and US”.

Holly Evans8 September 2026 13:26

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Ed Miliband says he is a ‘proud British Jew’

Foreign secretary Ed Miliband said he was a “proud British Jew” as he delivered a Commons statement expected to reset the UK’s relationship with Israel and impose sanctions on settlements in the West Bank.

He recalled his own family history, whose mother survived the Holocaust and spoke of his own childhood visits to Israel.

The foreign secretary began his statement by expressing his “deepest gratitude” for Israel for giving a home to his grandmother.

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He said: “So, Madam Deputy Speaker, I am proud of my Jewishness and unwavering in my support for the state of Israel, and there is absolutely no contradiction between this and my support for the state of Palestine.”

Holly Evans8 September 2026 13:24

Miliband begins speech

The foreign secretary Ed Miliband has begun his speech, laying out a ‘reset’ in relations between the UK and Israel.

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Holly Evans8 September 2026 13:21

‘Falkland Islands are British as long as they want to be’, foreign minister says

A foreign minister has stated the government’s “steadfast support” for the Falkland Islands’ “right to self determination”.

Responding to an urgent question from the Liberal Democrats, Kirsty McNeil told the Commons: “The UK remains steadfast in our support of the Falkland Islanders’ right to self determination.”

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She added: “The Falkland Islands are British as long as they want to be. Falkland Islanders have made their views very clear [in a 2013 referendum].”

Her comments come after pressure from the Argentinian and Israeli governments over the British sovereignty over the islands.

Holly Evans8 September 2026 13:20

France and Canada set to join UK in West Bank sanctions – reports

Both Canada and France are expected to announce sanctions against Israeli settlements alongside Britain later on today, it has been reported.

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France decided to join the expected British statement after a joint Franco-Swedish effort to sanction settlement products in the European Union reached a stalemate, according to reports from Haaretz and The Guardian.

The UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada all condemned the E1 settlers project weeks ago.

Bryony Gooch8 September 2026 13:15

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Labour MPs respond to government’s trade ban with Israeli settlements

Ed Miliband is set to unveil new sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements today, in a move long-called for by many of his Labour parliamentary colleagues.

The news has largely been welcomed by the party’s MPs and peers, however some Labour MPs have also indicated they are not in favour of the trade ban.

The sanctions, which has drawn criticism from the Israeli government and risks a fallout with Washington, will see goods coming out of the illegal settlements in the West Bank subject to trade restrictions.

International Development Committee chair and Labour MP Sarah Champion told The Independent the sanctions were “absolutely necessary” for a two-state solution, while Rachael Maskell said she hoped the UK will “rapidly apply greater sanctions” if there is no de-escalation.

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However, one Labour MP indicated they were not supportive of the move, and other, Peter Prinsley said the sanctions posed a threat to Britain’s Jewish community.

The vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel told BBC Radio 4: “My fear is that opponents of Israel won’t distinguish between Israeli government policy, Zionistic political philosophy and British Jews.

“As far as they’re concerned, the whole thing’s the same. It carries a real risk of increased chances of attacks on the British Jewish community.”

Athena Stavrou8 September 2026 13:05

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Ed Miliband due to give speech at 1:15pm

Stay tuned as foreign secretary Ed Miliband will be making a statement on Israel and Palestine in the House of Commons at 1:15pm.

We will bring you the latest lines.

Bryony Gooch8 September 2026 12:58

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Five tips for finding genuine Black Friday discounts and deals

Learning how to find the best Black Friday discounts can make a meaningful difference to your festive budget, especially if you’re a keen sale shopper. The following five tips are a good starting point.

1. Don’t over-fixate on Black Friday itself

Although the day of Black Friday brings some of the best discounts of the festive sale season, good deals are likely to be available both before and after it – and some items may sell out.

“When we look at our pricing data on a daily level, you have certain events such as Amazon’s October Prime sale [not yet confirmed for 2026] that are an earlier vector for change in prices,” says Vivek Pandya, a director at Adobe for Business.

“We typically see more significant discounts starting to emerge as we get into late October or early November, and these really kick up a notch as we get into Black Friday week.”

So, while interest in Black Friday deals will peak around the day itself, some of the best deals may have been available since the beginning of the week, or earlier.

2. Expand your search to everyday essentials

At Telegraph Recommended, we’ve picked up on a proliferation of discounts on everyday household items during recent Black Friday sales (and during other occasional events such as Prime Day). If you need a top-up of items such as cleaning products or pet supplies, this could be a thrifty time to buy them.

“These sales have become a spending spree on what retailers frame as ‘everyday essentials’, as well as bigger items and gifts,” says Pandya. Last year’s Cyber Weekend saw a 260 per cent spike in sales of “personal care” items including cosmetics, shampoos, fragrances and toothbrushes, according to Adobe.

3. Use a price tracker

Free price tracking tools such as camelcamelcamel can show you how the price of a product has changed over time. This allows you to identify when a Black Friday deal has actually brought a product’s price significantly lower than usual, or when the retailer’s pricing strategy has artificially made a deal appear to be generous.

Gabrielė Vitkė, product marketing team lead at data-gathering specialist Decodo, warns shoppers to watch out for “anchoring”, where a product’s price is set high prior to Black Friday, allowing the retailer then to reduce it sharply and advertise an eye-catching reduction.

“Discounts on items such as electronics and computing products can seem steep, sometimes exceeding 50 per cent against the list price,” says Vitkė. “However, our data shows that prices in this category rose in the run-up to Black Friday 2025, which is a sign of anchor pricing before the ‘discount’ is applied.”

Nutrition is key to get you through race day

You’ve put in the miles, completed the long runs and got your race day kit ready. But now it is time to think about how you’re going to fuel your body.

The Phoenix Energy Belfast City Half Marathon’s Official Fuelling Partner, Applied Nutrition, shares some simple advice to help you fuel smart and feel ready from the start line to the finish.

Before Race Day

Carbohydrates are an important source of energy during endurance exercise, so in the days leading up to a longer race, make sure they feature regularly in your meals and snacks.

Products such as the Endurance Energy & Hydration Powder are recommended to carb load with each serving delivering 48g of carbohydrates and 300mg of electrolytes making it the perfect product on the lead up to the big day. It is recommended to take up to 4 servings a day with meals or in between as a part of your Nutrition Plan

Race Morning

Keep breakfast simple and familiar. Aim for a carbohydrate-rich meal around two to three hours before the race, such as oats, toast or a banana alongside the Endurance Energy & Hydration Powder to help top up glycogen stores without feeling too heavy before your run.

Most importantly, race morning isn’t the time to experiment. Use your training runs to practise your breakfast routine so you know what sits well.

Fuel Along the Way

For longer distances, don’t wait until you’re running on empty before you start fuelling.

Applied Nutrition recommends taking on carbohydrates regularly during endurance events, with around 30–60g of carbohydrates per hour suggested as a general guide. The Isotonic Energy Gel can be taken every 30 minutes with the Endurance Elite Performance Energy Gel perfect for more experienced runners and recommended to consume every 30 minutes but do not consume more than 6 of these per day.

Energy gels can be a convenient option while running, but practise using them during your long runs. Work out when you’ll take them, how many you need and what feels comfortable for you.

Remember Your Hydration

Hydration is just as important as fuelling. Your individual needs will depend on factors including the weather, distance and how much you sweat but 400-800ml is the recommended amount to consumer.

Using electrolyte tablets such as the Endurance Hydration Electrolyte Tablets help to replace lost salts, support performance and reduce your risk of overhydration.

Recovery

Congratulations! An important part of your race day journey is recovery. We recommend a recovery drink such as the Endurance Recovery Post Exercise Fuel to help with muscle soreness, enhance recovery and to help promote muscle repair and growth

Applied Nutrition is an Official Fuelling Partner of Belfast City Marathon. Discover more endurance nutrition advice and explore the Applied Nutrition Endurance range online and use the code BCM30 for money off your order.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here

Noel Rhone, of Towers Avenue, Deane, had been in an altercation with his neighbour, Bolton Crown Court was told.

The defendant was charged with affray in December of last year, which Rhone pleaded guilty to.

The neighbour and Rhone had been keeping up a friendship until last year, the court was told.

Prosecuting, Katie Durham said this coincided with the neighbour getting into a “same sex relationship”, which caused the rupture in the neighbours’ friendship.

She said Rhone had disputes with the neighbour over parking issues, “namely visitors parking in front of or next to his property”, resulting in the neighbour parking down the street.

On December 2, 2025, a visitor parking near Rhone’s address had made him “lose his temper”.

The neighbours were arguing over parking at the time of the incident, when Rhone lunged at her neck and then pushed her, she then kicked him to the ground “in self-defence” and walked off.

Once he got back up, he went inside his property and came back out with a sword, coming towards his neighbour saying “I will chop your head off.”

The sword was likened to a “katana”.

The defendant got into the passenger seat of a van and threatened to chop her head off when he came back.

Defending, Peter Gilmour said the defendant was suffering from emotional issues at the time, including a family member diagnosed with cancer, and the loss of his parents.

Mr Gilmour said that Rhone has grown-up children and grandchildren, as well as being in “good character” for all of his life.

Judge Benjamin Lawrence said Rhone had used an offensive slur against the neighbour and Rhone also said she was the problem.

Judge Lawrence added: “In an argument you shouted, she called you a bully, you lunged at her neck then you pushed her, she feared for her life, and you left a small cut.

“She kicked you to the floor and walked away, and after you picked up a sword and threatened to chop her head off and put her windows through.

“Residents were also present.”

Rhone was sentenced to 14 months suspended for 18 months.

The judge said he handed down a suspended sentence due to Rhone, having a family and of usual good character.

Rhone also has to serve 100 hours of unpaid work, as well pay a fine of £500 to be paid back at £100 a month, as he is receiving a pension.

Judge Lawrence said: “You should not have been here in the first place; do not come back here again.”

Prince George arrived on a rainy morning for his first day at Eton College, accompanied by his father and mother, the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Prince William and Catherine carried umbrellas as they brought George, wearing a jacket and tie, to be welcomed by the head teacher, Simon Henderson, and provost Sir Nicholas Coleridge.

“Welcome, good luck and enjoy,” said the head teacher, shaking hands with Prince George.

They made small talk about the bad weather before the new pupil, parents and staff disappeared inside the historic school, where 13-year-old George will be a boarder.

The future king follows in the footsteps of his father in attending the elite private school, which has taught 20 British prime ministers and where fees are around £65,000 a year.

Britain is facing reprisals from the US and Israel as Andy Burnham prepares to impose sanctions on West Bank settlements.

A package of measures banning imports from the disputed areas is set to be announced later today, despite a mounting backlash.

The PM informed Donald Trump of his plans in a call last night, with the Government bracing for the president to respond publicly. 

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband will face questions in the Commons this afternoon, and France and Canada are expected to unveil similar sanctions. The move comes after Labour formally triggered a by-election in Keir Starmer‘s Holborn & St Pancras seat, where Palestine is set to be a major issue. 

But there is already a storm of protest, with the US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee accusing the UK of ‘Jew hate’ and ‘discrimination’.

In further escalation, Florida congressman Randy Fine has warned that the state has a law that would ban British imports in retaliation.

An Israeli minister has insisted it could support Argentina’s campaign to seize control of the Falklands, while terror experts said access to crucial intelligence could be disrupted. 

There is also disquiet in Labour ranks, with one MP raising alarm about ‘a real risk of increased chances of attacks on the British Jewish community’.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband will face questions in the Commons on the policy later

Concern about Israeli settlements has been mounting for years. It has intensified following Israel’s recent decision to open tenders for 1,200 homes east of Jerusalem, which would divide the West Bank

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Touring broadcast studios for the Government this morning, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden insisted Israel remains a key ally of the UK.

He argued the measures would be targeted and not amount to a de facto ban on trade with the state.

Mr Burnham has not spoken to Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu since becoming PM in July.

Labour has been under intense pressure from activists to toughen its position on Israel after losing votes to the Greens and pro-Gaza independents.

Around 160 settlements have been built by Israel since its occupation of the West Bank during the Six-Day War in 1967. Around 700,000 live in them and concern about the issue been mounting for years. This intensified following Israel’s recent decision to open tenders for 1,200 homes east of Jerusalem, which would divide the West Bank.

Mr Miliband, who is Jewish, last week said the plan was ‘crossing a red line’ and ‘illegal under international law’.

He said the proposal ‘cuts through the heart of the West Bank and risks making a Palestinian state unviable’.

Mr Miliband said Labour wanted a ‘comprehensive reset’ of relations with Israel.

Mr Burnham has said the Israeli proposals could ‘imperil or end’ the dream of a two-state solution, which successive British governments have supported for years. In a call with Mr Trump last night he reiterated his commitment to a two-state solution.

But Itamar Ben-Gvir, the hardline Minister of National Security of Israel, used the disputed Argentinian name for the Falklands as he wrote on X: ‘It’s time for the State of Israel to publicly recognize that the Malvinas Islands are Argentine territory under occupation, which the British violently steal from the Argentine people.

‘The British are not content with merely occupying the territory; they also carry out oil drilling there and steal the money from the Argentine people.

‘I call upon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize Argentina’s sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands and to impose sanctions on Great Britain as long as the occupation continues.’

Last week Argentine president Javier Milei reiterated the country’s ‘sacred’ claim to the territory, which it failed to seize in the 1982 Falklands War. 

Mr Milei has announced sanctions on oil exploration around the islands, encouraged by his ally Donald Trump pledging to ‘review’ US neutrality on the dispute. 

Britain has been adamant that sovereignty of the Falklands is not in doubt. 

In a referendum of islanders in 2013, 99.8 per cent voted to stay British, with a turnout of 92 per cent. 

Senior Labour MP Dame Emily Thornberry slapped down Mr Ben-Gvir in the Commons.

She pointed out that an Israeli oil company had just been sanctioned by Buenos Aires over a contract with the islands, and suggested he was too distracted by his ongoing effort to find ‘new ways to inflict ever more cruelty on the Palestinian people’ to do his research properly.

Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the expulsion of the British ambassador.

‘We will not be a doormat trampled by an antisemitic government, in a country conquered by radical Islam, trying to save itself from economic and social decline by attacking Jews and the State of Israel,’ he said.

‘The British Mandate in the Land of Israel is over.’

Israeli president Isaac Herzog said Britain should focus on ‘dialogue’ not sanctions.

‘If this happens – and other nations may join – I believe it will prove to be a grave miscalculation, a decision that will fall on the wrong side of history,’ he said in a statement. 

Although Mr Trump has yet to comment, Republican Mr Fine posted on social media: ‘As the British government considers forcing British companies to boycott portions of Israel, it should be aware that a Florida law that I passed as a member of the Legislature would ban any British company forced to comply from doing business with any state or local government in Florida. 

‘It would also end any British business participating in that boycott from doing any business in Florida if it needed any official interaction with state or local government to operate (permits, tax collection). 

‘Florida is one of Britain’s largest trading partners. They should understand that their vanity project in support of Muslim terror could cost them billions of dollars. 

‘And for those who doubt the power of this policy, it was this same law that broke Airbnb’s misguided effort to boycott portions of Israel in 2019. 

The PM informed Donald Trump of his plans in a call last night, with the Government bracing for the president to respond publicly

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‘They realized that this law would have bankrupted their company. Florida has made it clear. Any company — or nation — that boycotts Israel is boycotted by Florida.’ 

Mr Huckabee said: ‘I feel like that it’s a discrimination against the Israeli government, it’s discrimination against the Jewish people and I don’t understand the rationale of it.’

He added: ‘I don’t know if they have thought through, it’s like throwing a stone and not having an idea of where it’s going to land.

‘And I realise, look, the UK is a sovereign country, they can do what they want, but so is the US.’

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there would be ‘implications’ for Britain.

‘For example, 25 per cent of pharmaceuticals that are used in the UK are made in Israel. Are they willing to give those up? It looks like they are.

‘Are they willing also to do great damage to any Brits who are doing business in a number of states in the US.

‘I don’t know what all of the national sanctions or repercussions or retaliations will be from the US, hasn’t been announced yet.

‘But I do know that there are a number of states. Let me mention one, one of the largest US states, Florida, that has a law that if this action is taken, then Brits will not be able to do business with any company or business in Florida.’

Mr McFadden dismissed jibes about the Government engaging in ‘Jew hate’ and insisted Israel remained a key ally.

‘At the heart of the statement is the idea that the UK, along with many other countries, do not want to see the possibility of a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine being erased by changes to the facts on the ground, and the reason that danger has become more urgent is because of expanded settlement activity in recent weeks and months,’ he told Times Radio.

Plans in the so-called E1 area could see the ‘effective cutting off of the north of the West Bank from the south of the West Bank’, he said.

Asked why Mr Burnham had not spoken to Israel’s PM about the move, he said: ‘I’m sure he will speak to the prime minister of Israel.

‘But Israel is an important security ally, and in the context of what we’re saying today, I think it’s also important to distinguish between action which is announced in response to policies of this Israeli government at this time, and the people of Israel and the links between Israel and the UK, which are important and valuable and will continue to be so.’

Shadow foreign secretary Tom Tugendhat warned at the weekend that the move to impose sanctions could imperil security cooperation credited with saving British lives.

Britain and Argentina fought in 1982 over the islands after Argentina made a failed bid to take them

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Last week Argentine president Javier Milei reiterated the country’s ‘sacred’ claim to the territory

He urged ministers to ‘put our own national interests and our own national security first’, adding: ‘That means that where we have friends and allies who provide us with intelligence in order to keep us safe we should work with them.’

Asked how it would be possible to tell whether goods come from settlements in the West Bank or the rest of Israel and to address concerns this could amount to an overall boycott by the back door, he told Sky News: ‘The Foreign Secretary will set out details of how this will operate when he stands up in Parliament this afternoon.

‘But I think it’s also important to say that Israel is an important trading partner for the UK. This isn’t intended to be a boycott of all Israeli goods.’

He added: ‘It’s measures specifically targeted at the expansion of these settlements, which are illegal under international law, in the West Bank.’

Similarly, reader Paul Isaacs, a dentist, believes that “squirting stuff between teeth isn’t that good at removing a sticky biofilm”.

“If we don’t clean between the teeth properly it’s a bit like only washing your left side in the shower,” he adds.

For Paul, it’s the technique that matters, not necessarily the technology. “Toothbrushes are a personal thing, you can do a great job with manual or electric, if you do it right.”

“Getting bits of peanut out from between the teeth is not effective cleaning when it comes to gum health, so water jets are second rate,” he says.

“The gold standard is mechanical cleaning, in basic terms if you don’t wrangle it off, the biofilm won’t shift.”

The readers tempted by Dyson

These readers, however, are more optimistic about this new technology and can see how it could become a sophisticated investment, remembering when the electric toothbrush was dismissed when it first launched.

As a Dyson enthusiast, reader Irena Stoynova, 41, from Hampshire, was excited to hear about the launch of the CameraJet: “It’s because of the trust I have in the brand.”

As the owner of a variety of Dyson products from the hair dryer, fan and purifier and vacuum cleaner, Irena has found their products to be “innovative, effective and reliable”.

“They are the best in class,” she adds. “I believe that if somebody is going to disrupt the market it is going to be Dyson.”

The Great British Schools Guide has released data naming the top 10 easiest and hardest secondary schools to get into in County Durham, ranked based on “an equal-weighted combination of catchment tightness and fullness relative to recorded capacity”.

The fullness percentage provides “an indication of demand” for places and does not mean a school is oversubscribed.

Here are the easiest and hardest secondary schools to get into in County Durham.

Does your child’s school feature on either of the lists? (Image: Getty)

Hardest County Durham secondary schools to get into

The Academy at Shotton Hall comes in first place on the Great British Schools Guide’s list with a fullness of 101%.

The school was given a rating of outstanding in its last OFSTED inspection, which was published in September 2024.

The school says it provides a “vibrant and stimulating learning environment” for its pupils.

Top 10 hardest County Durham secondary schools to get into:

1. The Academy at Shotton Hall – 101%
2. Seaham High School – 94%
3. Easington Academy – 105%
4. Hermitage Academy – 89%
5. Woodham Academy – 93%
6. Tanfield School – 102%
7. Belmont Community School – 94%
8. Park View School – 109%
9. Dene Academy – 78%
10. King James I Academy Bishop Auckland – 97%

Easiest County Durham secondary schools to get into

For the easiest school to get into in County Durham, Staindrop Academy has a fullness percentage of 69%.

The school was last inspected by OFSTED in October 2021 and received a rating of good in all of the categories judged.

The school aims to make all of its pupils feel “happy and valued” and wants them to “fulfil their potential and develop the skills and attributes to succeed in their next steps”.

Top 10 easiest County Durham secondary schools to get into:

1. Staindrop Academy – 69%
2. Teesdale School and Sixth Form – 71%
3. Durham Academy – 57%
4. Wellfield School – 90%
5. Wolsingham School – 99%
6. Framwellgate School Durham – 94%
7. North Durham Academy – 57%
8. Ferryhill School – 80%
9. Greenfield Academy – 68%
10. Bishop Barrington Academy – 74%

Do either of these lists surprise you? Let us know in the comments.

Prince George has arrived for his first day at Eton College accompanied by his proud parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales.

He walked in as both a king-in-waiting and a nervous 13-year-old about to embark on a thrilling new chapter of his life.

The second in line to the throne wore a dark blazer, shirt, tie and chinos with brown suede shoes. He and his parents strode briskly through Eton College’s historic quadrangle – known to pupils as School Yard – given the heavy rain.

The family emerged from the arch beneath Lupton’s Tower, the 16th-century gatehouse clock tower, and walked across the cobbled Yard.

The Waleses paused level with a bronze statue of Henry VI, the school’s founder, which sits in the centre of the quadrangle, to shake hands with Simon Henderson, the headmaster of Eton College, and Sir Nicholas Coleridge, the school’s provost, who serves as the chair of the governing body.

Prince William was smartly dressed in a dark suit, while Catherine wore an elegant green flowing dress and heels and carried a large umbrella.

William was the first to shake hands with the headmaster, then George, as the princess slightly hung back.

Prince William shakes hands with provost Sir Nicholas Coleridge, left, and headmaster Simon Henderson on Prince George’s first day of school 

Prince George arrives with parents Prince William and Catherine for his first day at Eton today

William is greeted by Sir Nicholas, the school’s provost and governing body chair

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‘George welcome, good luck, enjoy,’ Mr Henderson smiled.

He then shook hands with Catherine before the provost introduced himself and they exchanged a few pleasantries

While there were clearly nerves on both sides, there were also smiles all round – although the heavy rain drowned out the sound of their conversation.

Catherine gazed at her eldest son proudly before Mr Henderson invited the family to get out of the rain.

The princess was seen placing a protective arm on her son’s back as the door was shut behind them. 

The Yard is the oldest part of the school alongside College Chapel, where pupils attend services three times a week.

After the welcome, George, William and Catherine were shown into the fourth form passage in the original school building, which is understood to house the world’s oldest classroom.

Like other families, the couple will help George settle into his new bedroom. Pupils from other years will return to Eton when the school starts tomorrow.

Following the brief photocall and the picture release, it is William and Catherine’s fervent wish that George’s education will take place away from public view.

Signs have been posted around Windsor warning the public not to photograph the pupils when they are moving around the sprawling campus of school buildings between lessons.

Kensington Palace announced in June that their eldest child would be attending the Windsor boarding school where fees cost more than £65,000 per year.

William struggles to close his umbrella as he and Catherine accompany George to Eton today

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Catherine and William laugh with George as they arrive today for his first day at Eton College

George arrives with parents William and Catherine for his first day at Eton this morning

Catherine and William laugh with George as they arrive for his first day at Eton College today

It seems hard to believe that the self-assured young man in front of us was, only a few years ago, being introduced to the world by William and Catherine on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington – or pictured tousle-haired, his back pack almost as big as him, on his first day at nursery.

The photocall had been arranged for 11am, half an hour or so before the rest of his fellow ‘F Blockers’ – Eton shorthand for Year 9 students – arrived. 

It is the only time during the next five years George is likely to get any special treatment, and the decision was more about protecting the privacy of the other students.

All new pupils arrive in their own clothes before changing into Eton’s distinctive and historic uniform including black tailcoat, waistcoat and white tunic shirt.

Kensington Palace are set to release a photograph of that separately.

The prince and princess have made clear how grateful they are for the way the media and public have allowed all their three children to grow up and enjoy their education away from the spotlight, in return for regular pictorial updates and occasional public appearances, and hope this will continue for George as he moves through his senior school years.

Henry VI established the school in 1440, naming it Kynge’s College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore.

Alongside fee-paying students, provision was made for 70 ‘King’s scholars’ to receive free lodging and tuition. The tradition continues today with the school offering bursaries to pupils from less well-off backgrounds.

The young prince’s arrival at the exclusive public school varied markedly from his father’s first day on September 6, 1995.

Then, William, sporting a grey tweed jacket over matching smart trousers and a navy patterned tie, was photographed arriving at his boarding house in front of a large group of the world’s media and signing the register.

Prince George starts his first day of school at Thomas’s Battersea in London in September 2017

He was accompanied by his parents Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, who had by then been separated for three years, along with his younger brother, Prince Harry.

Only a small royal photographer rota captured such an historic moment in the now heir to the throne’s life.

Times change and, as royal aides now argue, it’s stressful enough joining a new school without doing it under the glare of hundreds of cameras.

Eton was always the front runner for William and Catherine when it came to choosing a senior school for their eldest child, but by no means a done deal.

The couple have been spotted checking out a number of boarding schools across the county, including Oundle in Northamptonshire and the princess’s own alma mater, Marlborough – although sources have indicated that the latter has always been a more likely choice for their daughter, Princess Charlotte.

What swung it was Eton’s proximity to the family’s ‘forever home’ at Windsor, Forest Lodge; the fact that the college has long experience of dealing with the complexities around high-profile students; and, of course, George’s own preference.

He is likely to be joined by a number of friends from Lambrook, the co-educational prep school in Berkshire he has attended with his siblings in recent years.

It also helps that William has genuinely fond memories of his own time there.

In an interview to mark his 18th birthday and imminent graduation from Eton, the heir spoke of how he had enjoyed attending Eton as ‘just another student’ and even admitted he’d ‘always liked the uniform’.

He also spoke of how much he had appreciated the support of staff such as his housemaster, Dr Gailey.

Ironically, given how synonymous Eton has become with royalty, it was something of a departure for William to even be sent there.

For centuries, generations of monarchs and their heirs were taught by tutors and had little experience of learning alongside their peers.

Princess Diana and Charles with William and Harry outside Eton on William’s first day in 1995

However both William’s grandfather and uncle on the Spencer side of the family had attended the school, while his mother also preferred its proximity to Windsor and London.

Charles was also known to have had a less than happy time at his own Scottish alma mater, Gordonstoun – although other members of the Royal Family subsequently went there and adored it – and was content with the choice.

It also enabled William to spend time with his beloved grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, and he still fondly talks of being able to regularly wander over to Windsor Castle to seek tea and sage advice.

William and Catherine have also gone on to break with tradition when it comes to their own children’s education.

George first attended a little £5.50-an-hour Montessori nursery school, Westacre near King’s Lynn in Norfolk, when his parents were based there while William was working as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance Service.

When the family moved back to Kensington Palace in 2017, George and Charlotte were enrolled at Thomas’s Battersea – a very popular but not overly posh private London prep school.

In 2022, all three youngsters moved to Lambrook, a delightful but low-key day and boarding school in Berkshire, where George has regularly stayed overnight in preparation for Eton.

He is said to be a hugely outdoorsy, sporty boy, who has shown a talent for triathlon and sailing – and is obsessed by flying.

His time at Eton will, hopefully, be among the happiest years of his life, allow him to develop away from the spotlight and develop a tight-knit circle of friends that will support him for many decades to come.

The college was founded in 1440 as a charity feeder school to provide free education for 70 poor boys before they progressed to King’s College, Cambridge.

Prince Harry sets off for his first day at Eton in 1998. He attended the school until 2003

It has since become one of the most lauded public schools in the world, educating generations of British and foreign aristocracy and, in recent years, home-grown monarchy.

Former alumni include no less than 20 former British prime ministers, writers George Orwell, Aldous Huxley and Ian Fleming, as well as actors Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston and Damian Lewis.

Recent decades have seen a concerted effort to open up benefits of an Eton education to pupils from a more diverse background, with around 20 per cent on bursaries or scholarships.

The Good Schools Guide says it is an establishment that is chosen by people ‘despite its name, not because of it’ and insists: ‘Eton’s got normal families and normal children doing great things.’

Its fees remain, however, an eye-watering £65,000-plus a year and there is an enviable 7:1 pupil to teacher ratio.

And it is also still renowned for its traditions including the classic uniform of a black tailcoat (£165) with matching trousers (£65), waistcoat (£50) and white tunic shirt (£22).

Facilities remain first class with superlative music, drama and sports departments. As well as rugby and football, the school still boasts unique traditions such the ‘Eton wall game’.

All boarders have private rooms from their first day in one of 25 distinctive boarding houses run by the house master and dame.

Kensington Palace have broken recent tradition and chosen not to share the name of George’s house.

Teachers are known officially as masters, but colloquially as ‘beaks’.

The Waleses – who famously admit they have refused to give their children mobile phones – will no doubt be delighted with the school’s phone policy: just a Nokia brick phone for boys such as George in Year 9 with very limited use.