Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has criticised Wireless Festival for booking Kanye West to headline at Finsbury Park, after the rapper’s antisemitic remarks and Nazi messaging

Sir Keir Starmer has spoken out against a music festival for booking Kanye West as a headliner, following the American rapper’s Nazi messaging.

The Prime Minister described it as “deeply concerning” that the musician, also known as Ye, has been lined up to headline Wireless Festival at Finsbury Park, north London. The rapper has faced widespread condemnation in recent years after he began expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler, and has made a string of antisemitic comments.

Last year, he released a track called “Heil Hitler”, just months after promoting a Swastika T-shirt for sale on his website. As first reported by The Sun on Sunday, Sir Keir said: “It is deeply concerning that Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism.

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“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted clearly and firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe and secure.”

The 48 year old rapper’s scheduled appearance at Wireless Festival comes amid growing concerns over rising antisemitism across the UK.

In March, four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community-run service were set ablaze in north-west London. Two men and a 17 year old boy were remanded in custody on Saturday after appearing in court charged with torching the vehicles.

Last October, two men lost their lives in an attack on a Manchester synagogue. The Sun on Sunday also published criticism from a number of Jewish community organisations calling on Wireless Festival to reconsider their decision to allow West to headline.

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Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, told the newspaper the booking was “causing distress to Britain’s Jewish community due to his previous antisemitism and support for Hitler”. She went on to say: “Wireless should think again about whether they want to provide a platform for this hateful antisemitism.”

Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, described it as “absolutely the wrong decision” to permit West to perform.

The musician issued an apology in January for his antisemitic remarks in a letter printed as a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal newspaper. In the letter, he expressed remorse to Jewish and black people, stating that his bipolar disorder had caused him to fall into “a four-month long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life”.

Wireless Festival was approached for comment.

Mills was abruptly taken off air and last hosted his show on Tuesday March 24, signing off with: “See you tomorrow.”

The BBC confirmed on Monday that the 53-year-old is no longer contracted to work with the company.

The sacking has left a vacancy at BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show just over a year after Mills took over from Zoe Ball as host.

Kay, who hosts a mid-morning show on Radio 2, is currently the favourite with bookmaker William Hill to replace Mills.

Last month, the station’s head Helen Thomas said Vernon Kay continues to be “the most listened to show on UK radio”, attracting 6.7 million listeners each week.

Veteran DJ Gary Davies, who unexpectedly started hosting Mills’ breakfast show last Wednesday, was also tipped as a possible replacement.

Davies did not address the reason for Mills’ absence and just told listeners: “Morning, Gary in for Scott.”

OJ Borg, who hosts Radio 2’s weekday overnight show, was another of the station’s presenters who feature in the bookmaker’s list.

William Hill also named broadcasters Rylan Clark and Clara Amfo as potential replacements.

Spokesman Lee Phelps said: “With Scott Mills’ departure from BBC Radio 2 confirmed, attention has quickly turned to who takes on one of the biggest roles in UK radio.

“Our early betting has Vernon Kay out in front at 6/4, but right behind him is Gary Davies at 5/2 and OJ Borg at 11/4, having previously hosted the show.

“Other potential candidates include Rylan Clark (7/2), Clara Amfo (4/1) and Tony Blackburn (6/1), followed by Strictly Come Dancing and Traitors presenter Claudia Winkleman (8/1).

“Joe Wilkinson and Alex Horne are 10/1 and 20/1 respectively to replace Mills on one of the flagship BBC Radio shows.”

President Donald Trump warned that “hell will reign down” on Iran within 48 hours unless the country opens the Strait of Hormuz hours before he claimed “many” of its military leaders were “terminated.”

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!” Trump said in a Truth Social post Saturday morning.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m. ET, the president shared a video purporting to show a “massive strike” in Tehran, though it was not immediately clear when the attack was carried out. “Many of Iran’s Military Leaders, who have led them poorly and unwisely, are terminated, along with much else, with this massive strike in Tehran!” he wrote.

Around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which is at the center of the conflict, and Iran’s tight grip over its navigation has caused chaos for import-dependent countries.

Trump’s Truth Social warning to the Iranian regime, where he appeared to confuse the use of “rain” with “reign,” comes as the search for a missing U.S. fighter pilot entered its second day after a F-15 was shot down Friday.

In a video he posted on Saturday afternoon, a loud boom could be heard as images show an enormous fireball igniting over a hillside at nightfall.

The Independent has contacted the Pentagon, U.S. Central Command and the White House for further information.

White House director of communications, Steven Cheung, said Trump has “been working nonstop” over the Easter weekend. The president is expected to remain in Washington, D.C. all weekend, according to his schedule.

There was no official update from the Trump administration about the missing pilot as of Saturday afternoon.

In a slew of Truth Social posts Saturday morning, Trump hit out at the media and touted job figures, but he did not reference the pilot.

Two American warplanes were shot down in separate incidents Friday as a search and rescue mission was launched to find the F-15 crew member who was forced to eject. An A-10 attack plane was reportedly hit in the Persian Gulf region, and the pilot was rescued after making it to Kuwaiti airspace, officials said.

Trump told The Independent on Friday that he is not yet ready to say what the U.S. will do if Iranian forces get to the downed airman first. “We hope that’s not going to happen,” the president said in a brief phone call Friday.

Iran was also issuing threats Saturday as the regime claimed it had used a new air defense system to target the U.S. fighter jet.

A spokesperson ‌for the ⁠joint military command said that the country would “definitely achieve full control” over its airspace, ​according ‌to ⁠Iranian ⁠state media.

Iran is reportedly offering locals around $65,000 to anyone who hands over the missing pilot alive.

An anchor on the Iranian state media channel said: “If you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police, you will receive a precious prize.”

The downed F-15 is the fourth American fighter aircraft — and the sixth military plane — lost since Trump started the massive air campaign against Tehran on February 28. Three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle jets were downed by friendly fire over Kuwait in March.

The downing of the military jet occurred just two days after Trump had declared in a national address that the U.S. had “beaten and completely decimated Iran.”

Both the U.S. and Israel had recently boasted about the supposed decimation of Iran’s air defenses.

The violence showed no sign of slowing Saturday. Iran’s atomic agency said an airstrike hit near its Bushehr nuclear facility, killing a security guard and damaging a support building.

An Iranian drone also damaged the Dubai headquarters of the American tech giant Oracle on Saturday after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened the firm, according to the Associated Press.

The sheikhdom’s Dubai Media Office, which speaks for its government, said a “minor incident caused by debris from an aerial interception that fell on the facade of the Oracle building in Dubai Internet City,” adding there were no injuries.

More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began six weeks ago, including 13 U.S. service members.

She will say: “Perhaps you are here today standing in your own version of the dark, perhaps with your own heart shattered… If you have been knocked off course by illness, bereavement, unemployment or any other human crisis – I pray you know that God walks with you through that darkness.”

The Met Office has warned Storm Dave will “continue to deepen” as it brings heavy snow and strong gusts to northern parts of the country.

Gusts of up to 70mph are expected to hit northern England, southern Scotland and northwest Wales – what the Met Office has called “disruptive and potentially damaging winds”.

Coastal areas covered by the amber weather warning could see wind speeds reach 80mph.

The Met Office warned there is a risk of power cuts, travel disruption and difficult conditions along coastal areas, with the weather warning is in place until 3am on Sunday. Flying debris and large waves could result in injuries and danger to life, it added.

Yellow warnings for wind and snow are also in place across a broader area of northern England Scotland and Northern Ireland as Storm Dave moves eastwards across the UK, bringing a spell of wet and windy weather.

Met Office chief meteorologist, Chris Bulmer, said: “Storm Dave will bring a period of very strong winds, with the strongest gusts most likely in the Amber warning area. People should be prepared for impacts with disruption to travel likely and possible power cuts.”

“Wind speeds will peak at different times as the deep area of low pressure moves across the north of the UK.”

The Met Office warned that being outside during strong winds makes people vulnerable injury, urging the public to “stay indoors as much as possible”.

It said: “If you do go out, try not to walk, or shelter, close to buildings and trees. In advance of high winds, check for loose items outside your home and secure them. Items include; bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds, and fences.”

In northern Scotland, heavy snow of 5-10cm is likely to fall at some locations over 200m.

Some areas could see 10-20cm and with strong wind blizzards and drifting snow will be an additional hazard. A yellow weather warning for snow has been issued until 3 am on Sunday covering parts of northwest Scotland.

RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “The arrival of Storm Dave is set to make driving conditions across the north and west of the UK this Easter particularly challenging. While we expect leisure traffic volumes to be slightly lower on Saturday and Sunday compared with the rest of the bank holiday, there will still be millions of people on the roads visiting friends and family.

“Drivers shouldn’t underestimate the impact of the very strong winds that are forecast. We recommend taking extra care on exposed, higher routes and being especially cautious when overtaking high‑sided vehicles, as the buffeting effect can catch some people out. Slowing down and keeping a firm grip on the steering wheel are both vital in these conditions.”

Weekend weather forecast

Sunday:

Cloud, rain and hill snow across the far northeast clearing, as winds continue to ease. Sunny spells and blustery showers for many, but southern areas may to stay dry. Chilly.

Monday:

Winds will ease as Storm Dave clears into the North Sea on Sunday. Blustery showers will continue across Scotland and Northern Ireland while much of England and Wales will become fine.

Easter Monday will be the driest day of the Easter weekend, with a ridge of high pressure in the wake of Storm Dave bringing a more settled day. Most areas will see some sunny spells after a chilly night.

Britain’s Got Talent viewers were left fuming as they believed a singer was “robbed” of a coveted Golden Buzzer.

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Britain’s Got Talent viewers insisted one performer was “robbed” of a golden buzzer.

The ITV talent show returned this evening, with Stacey Solomon filling in for Simon Cowell as she sat alongside KSI, Alesha Dixon, and Amanda Holden on the judging panel.

Saturday night’s variety programme featured another series of auditions, with a stuntman, a magic trio, and a school group performing.

Closing the episode, father-of-three Nic Vani captivated audiences with his performance of The Lion King’s Circle of Life.

“In my music career, I’ve always been at the back, so now I think it’s time for me to be in the spotlight,” he explained, reports the Mirror.

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Following his remarkable performance, the judges were left astounded, with KSI commenting, “Nic, I’m speechless, you weren’t in the thick of it, you owned it. That was phenomenal, your vocals were so crisp, clean, and made the crowd go crazy.”

He continued, “You’re not a backup, you are the main event.”

Amanda enthused: “I couldn’t agree more, the clarity of your voice, you’ve got such an amazing tone, I mean, you really, really made that song your own, it’s obviously a very familiar song, but I don’t know why, it felt like I was hearing it for the first time. What a star.”

Stacey remarked, “I loved every bit of that. You’ve got such a powerful voice, the fact you can get that high was just incredible.”

“Loved the polished tone to your voice, absolutely superb, can’t wait to see more of you, you deserve to be at the front of that stage,” Alesha commented.

Audiences were largely in agreement, though a number were outraged that Nic had been denied a golden buzzer, which would have fast-tracked him straight to the live semi-finals.

Ordinarily, each judge along with Ant and Dec are each permitted to press the buzzer for one act during the audition stages, with Stacey having already awarded hers to a group of schoolchildren earlier in the same episode.

One frustrated viewer posted: “#BritainsGotTalent golden buzzer baffles me. Actual talented people don’t seem to get it.”

Another hit out: “Sorry, how did he not get a golden buzzer??? ‘No one had any left’ idgaffffff Bruno used two before, pretty sure Simon’s used two as well, they make their own rules, bro, he deserved one.”

One viewer gushed: “Nick, you have one of the most beautiful male voices I’ve ever heard. Such a beautiful tone. What a star!”

Yet another raged: “ROBBED SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE GOLDEN BUZZER.”

“Now THAT was a Golden Buzzer act!!” one person concurred, while another chimed in: “Now THAT is golden buzzer worthy!!!!”

“GOLDEN BUZZER WORTHY,” a further viewer declared, as another added: “This is giving me goosebumps.”

Britain’s Got Talent returns on Saturday at 6.45pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary Charity Shop, in Flowergate, was closed until further notice following a “devastating” fire on April 2.

Officials at the sanctuary, which cares for over 3,000 rescues animals a year, said that the shop had played a “vital” role in the organisation and its funding.

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The blaze is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault, the charity said.

The fire and smoke caused “significant damage” to the shop in Flowergate (Image: Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary)

But despite a “quick response” from emergency services, officials say the shop suffered significant damage caused by smoke.

As The Press reported, the shop was forced to close earlier this week, while an investigation began to determine the official cause.

A spokesperson for the sanctuary said in a statement: “The most important thing is that no one was hurt, and we are incredibly grateful for the quick response from the fire service and the actions taken at the time.

“Unfortunately, the impact of the damage means the shop will be closed until further notice and we are currently unable to accept donations of items for the charity shop.

“A large amount of stock has been affected and cannot be sold and some items, including electrical goods, must be removed and disposed of for safety reasons

“We are now working with our landlord and inspectors and must complete a number of safety checks before we can reopen.”

An inspection is taking place in the shop to determine the official cause of the fire (Image: Social Media)

A GoFundMe page was set up by the charity and has raised more than £3,000 in just two days.

Speaking about this in a social media post today, the sanctuary said: “We are absolutely overwhelmed by your support.

“We honestly can’t thank you enough – your kindness means everything to us and the wildlife we support.

“We are expecting significant losses so any help you can provide is really appreciated.”

The fire is thought to have been caused by an electrical fault (Image: Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary)

Officials say they are unable to enter the shop and begin cleaning until the inspection is complete – further delaying the opening.

A statement read: “We have now been advised that the shop has suffered around 20 per cent damage, mainly due to smoke, which will require a significant clean-up before we can reopen.”

The charity said aside from monetary donations, it is now in need of a “good working” hoover to help with the clean-up process.

Bath starting XV: 15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Max Ojomoh, 11 Henry Arundell, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben Spencer, 1 Beno Obano, 2 Tom Dunn, 3 Archie Griffin, 4 Quinn Roux, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Josh Bayliss, 7 Guy Pepper, 8 Alfie Barbeary.

Replacements: 16 Kepu Tuipulotu, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Ted Hill, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Bernard van der Linde, 22 Cameron Redpath, 23 Miles Reid.

Saracens starting XV: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Noah Caluori, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Tobias Elliott, 10 Fergus Burke, 9 Charlie Bracken, 1 Rhys Carre, 2 Jamie George, 3 Marcus Street, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Hugh Tizard, 6 Theo McFarland, 7 Andy Onyeama-Christie, 8 Tom Willis.

Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Eroni Mawi, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Harry Wilson, 20 Nathan Michelow, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Alex Lozowski, 23 Max Malins.

Ramos was ubiquitous in the Toulousain assault, offering one sumptuous offload from an audacious counter for Gourgues’s first –but Bristol often did not help themselves. Williams, often distributing beautifully, had a couple of howlers which led to two tries while Ibitoye and Rees-Zammit never quite looked comfortable in the backfield against a Dupont-Ntamack-Ramos three-pronged aerial bombardment.

Thomas added a quickfire double to a rapidly increasing scoreline, but what made it more remarkable was that it was during the period in which the hosts had been reduced to 14 players. Toulouse were in cruise control, knowing the game was over, while the Bears attempted to salvage some pride. Thankfully, the visitors managed it.

For Toulouse, with the crowd jumping to the sounds of the stadium’s sunset DJ, the victor of Bordeaux’s hosting of Leicester awaits; for the Bears, some claw-sharpening and wound-licking is required.

Match details

Scoring sequence: 0-5 Harding try, 0-7 Williams con, 5-7 Willis try, 7-7 Ramos con, 12-7 Mauvaka try, 14-7 Ramos con, 19-7 Gourgues try, 21-7 Ramos con, 26-7 Mauvaka try, 28-7 Ramos con, 33-7 Lebel try, 38-7 Gourgues try, 40-7 Ramos con, 45-7 Lebel try, 45-12 Ravouvou try, 50-12 Thomas try, 52-12 Ramos con, 57-12 Thomas try, 59-12 Ramos con, 59-17 Williams try, 59-19 Williams con, 59-24 Heward try, 59-26 Heward con.

Toulouse: T Ramos; T Thomas, K Gourgues (Kinghorn 61), P-L Barassi (Chocobares 4), M Lebel; R Ntamack, A Dupont (capt, Graou 58); D Ainu’u (Mallez 50), P Mauvaka (Lacombre 66), D Aldegheri (Merkler 50), T Flament (Brennan 58), E Meafou, F Cros, J Willis, A Jelonch (Banos 54). Sin-bin: Ntamack.

Bristol: L Rees-Zammit (Heward 61); K Ravouvou, B Janse van Rensburg (Moroni 47), J Williams, G Ibitoye; T Jordan, H Randall (Marmion 51); E Genge (Woolmore 51), G Oghre (Thacker 51), G Kloska (Lahiff 51), J Dun, J Owen, S Luatua (Taylor 41), F Harding (capt, Ivanishvili 56), B Grondona.

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy). 

Attendance: 33,150.

Arsenal’s hopes of winning the Treble are over after Southampton stunned the Gunners in their FA Cup quarter-final clash, as Shea Charles notched an 85th-minute winner

Mikel Arteta has told Arsenal to ‘adapt’ in the face of adversity – or they’ll risk going trophy-less this season. The Gunners saw their Treble dream die at St Mary’s on Saturday, as they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Championship side Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Ross Stewart gave Southampton the lead in the first half before substitute Viktor Gyokeres equalised for Arsenal. But Arteta’s men couldn’t build on their leveller and conceded again in the 85th minute, as Shea Charles grabbed what proved to be the winner.

The Saints will go marching on to Wembley for a semi-final after staving off another Arsenal comeback. The Gunners are now left to wallow in their second consecutive defeat, having also lost to Manchester City in last month’s Carabao Cup final before the international break.

Arteta was forced to name a much-changed starting XI – albeit one with enough firepower to get past second-tier opposition – due to their raft of injuries and fitness woes. The conditions also didn’t help, with the wind playing its part in Southampton’s opener, but Arsenal manager wasn’t for making excuses.

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“You have to adapt to the wind, the injuries,” Arteta told TNT Sports post-match. “You have to adapt to difficult situations in the season. Now we have to show what we are made of.”

The Gunners boss added: “We had so much dominance in and around the box. We conceded the first goal in a very unusual way for us, the second one from direct play as well.

“We had two massive chances and needed to capitalise on that. If you make defending errors we made today it’s very difficult to be in the semi-final.”

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Asked if his team were surprised by Southampton’s impressive display, Arteta replied: “No, they are a very good side on a very good run and you have to congratulate them.”

The Gunners return to action on Tuesday, as they travel to Portugal to face Sporting Lisbon in the quarter-finals of another competition, the Champions League. Arsenal haven’t lost a game in Europe this season and the pressure will be on to continue their formidable run.

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