Ed Miliband has accused the Israeli settlers in the West Bank of “ethnic cleansing” as he unveiled a fresh set of sanctions.

The foreign secretary has announced his plan to ban trade from Israeli settlements in the illegally occupied Palestinian territory as part of his attempt to “reset” relations with Israel.

He said the UK will “take action” against those who provide services including construction, finance and real-estate for settlement expansion.

He said he hoped to roll out the legislation in six to nine months.

It comes after Israel unveiled plans to extend developments in the West Bank, which would disrupt the idea of a Palestinian state.

Tensions in the West Bank have spiked in recent months as violent disputes have erupted between Israeli settlers and Palestinians.

Israel has built about 160 settlements housing 700,00 Jews since it first occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 war.

Approximately 3.3 million Palestinians are estimated to live among them.

While making a statement to MPs in the Commons, Miliband noted that the government’s argument is “not with the people of Israel, with whom the UK has unshakeable bonds” but “with the conduct of its government.”

He said the Israeli settlements in the West Bank – illegal under international law – have expanded more rapidly under the last four years of this Israeli government than in the previous 20 years.

The cabinet minister continued: “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’.

“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.”

France, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden have all joined the UK is slapping sanctions on Israeli settlers today.

In a joint statement, the countries confirmed this action follows steps already taken by Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium.

Miliband also turned his attention to Gaza, where he said Britain supports the legal processes to determine if Israel has committed genocide.

He added that the UK will do “everything we can to provide all the humanitarian support possible to help the people of Gaza”.

“Our extension of the global human rights sanctions regime will enable us to target those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law, whether in Gaza or anywhere else in the world,” the foreign secretary said.

Miliband’s announcement has already put a strain on Britain’s relations with the US and with Israel.

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, accused the government of “discrimination against Jews”.

US president Donald Trump is yet to publicly respond to the sanctions package.

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As a person with a penis, you would be forgiven for thinking everything “down there” is fine if your penis hasn’t shown any physical changes or been generally uncomfortable. However, according to Dr Babak Ashrafi, GP at Superdrug Online Doctor, you can actually tell a lot about your physical health just from examining your penis.

He shares: “Your penis is one of the few parts of the body that relies on healthy blood vessels, healthy nerves, balanced hormones and good psychological wellbeing all working together.

“If something changes, it doesn’t always mean there’s a serious problem, but it can sometimes be the body’s way of flagging that something else deserves attention.”

What a neat little system.

According to The Urology Foundation, erectile dysfunction (ED) affects around 4.3 million men in the UK and is very common in men over the age of 40.

“Many men think of erectile dysfunction as a condition in itself, but it’s often a symptom rather than the underlying cause,” says Dr Babak Ashrafi. “An erection relies on healthy blood vessels, nerves, hormones and psychological wellbeing all working together. If something is disrupting one of those systems, the penis can sometimes be one of the first places it becomes noticeable.”

Dr Ashrafi adds that persistent erectile dysfunction can sometimes be an early warning sign of wider health conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Often referred to as a ‘silent killer’, high blood pressure unfortunately rarely causes obvious symptoms. However, it can damage blood vessels throughout the body over time. Dr Ashrafi says: “If blood vessels begin to narrow or lose their elasticity because of high blood pressure, some men may notice changes to their erections before they experience any other symptoms. That’s why persistent changes shouldn’t simply be put down to age.”

Diabetes impacts more than just blood sugar. It can also damage nerves and blood vessels which are essential for healthy sexual function.

Ashrafi urges: “For some men, changes in erections are one of the first things that prompts them to seek medical advice.

“If these changes are accompanied by increased thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision or unexplained fatigue, diabetes is one of the conditions we would want to rule out.”

Early diagnosis can also reduce the risk of complications affecting the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves.

High cholesterol often develops silently, but over time it can reduce blood flow by causing fatty deposits to build up inside arteries.

“Because the arteries supplying the penis are particularly narrow, they may be affected earlier than larger arteries elsewhere in the body,” says Dr Babak Ashrafi. “For some men, changes in erectile function can be an early clue that it’s time to have their cholesterol checked.”

Changes aren’t always related to blood flow, Dr Ashrafi explains.

“If you’re experiencing a reduced sex drive alongside persistent tiredness, low mood, reduced muscle strength or fewer spontaneous erections, hormones could be playing a role,

“Low testosterone can affect both sexual desire and sexual function, so it’s important to look at the wider picture rather than focusing on one symptom alone.”

A poor night’s sleep could be affecting more than just your energy levels, particularly if it’s happening often.

“Sleep plays an important role in hormone production, cardiovascular health and sexual function,” says Dr Ashrafi.

“If someone notices changes in their erections alongside loud snoring, excessive daytime tiredness or poor quality sleep, it may be worth investigating whether an underlying sleep disorder could be contributing.”

Improving sleep can have benefits for overall health as well as sexual wellbeing.

If you are concerned about your health, speak to your GP.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Danny Boyle has sparked a lot of conversation on social media after admitting that his new film Ink makes use of generative AI.

During a recent interview with Variety, the 28 Years Later director was asked for how he feels about the increasing use of artificial intelligence in the film industry, to which he responded: “It doesn’t really matter what I think about AI. It matters what 20-year-olds think about it, [that’s] the honest truth.

“My opinion of it is that it’s a very useful tool, in many ways, provided you use it respectfully, and provided you pay actors, if you’re going to replace them with some kind of AI embodiments or something like that – just like with any animation project or just as part of the VFX toolbox.”

He then shared that there’s “about 30 seconds” of AI-generated content in his new film, Ink, which he and his team used to “animate a couple of photographs”.

“Oh! And there are some [AI-generated] mice,” he added. “[AI is] very good for animals.

“I got in trouble with [the animal rights organisation] PETA – we had some chimps at the beginning of 28 Days Later, and they wrote to me and said, ‘you must never do that again’. And I haven’t.

“And ever since, I’ve tried to use, you know, [CGI] animals. But AI is very, very good at creating animals, and we’ve got some mice in this one that run around The Sun newsroom.”

Over the last few years, AI has become an increasingly polarising issue in the entertainment industry, as it has in many other fields, with the subject being a major factor in the Hollywood strikes of 2023.

As a result, as you might imagine, Danny’s comments have generated a lot of debate on social media.

In particular, many have pointed out that just days earlier, Danny had been vocal against the threat posed to AI within the journalism world, in which his new movie is set.

“The danger is that the tech giants and their AI will be able to replace journalism,” he told reporters at the Venice Film Festival last week. “They’ll be able to have an AI journalist who’s much more efficient, cheaper.

“Will that AI journalist speak truth to that power that’s created it? That’s going to be very tough and interesting.”

He continued: “Teachers are another one of those tentpoles that hold up our society, and teachers can be replaced as well by AI. It’s insane what we’re doing.

“Where’s the village that we all need? And within that village, there are truth tellers who aren’t popular sometimes because what they say is unpopular. I hope Ink throws up questions like that about the future, what we’re ploughing into.”

Netflix has finally confirmed that the wheels are in motion on a new instalment of The Inbetweeners.

Rumours had been circulating for the past month that the cult Channel 4 comedy was being revived by the streaming giant, and on Monday morning, they confirmed their plans in a fitting fashion.

In a 40-second teaser, the four original cast members – Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley and Blake Harrison – were seen clambering into the iconic yellow car from the original series, with Netflix announcing that a third movie is now “in production”.

Last year, a deal was struck between the production company Banijay UK and The Inbetweeners’ creators Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, which at the time was reported to have “paved the way for the return of the hit comedy title”.

The pair said that they were “incredibly excited” to be “plotting more adventures for our four favourite friends”.

Naturally, they then added: “Ooh friends…”

Both Damon and Iain have written and directed the next offering from The Inbetweeners, saying in a new statement: “It’s been super-fun hanging out with our friends again, and we’re going to work hard every week to ensure there are no problemos making this new film for humans.”

The Inbetweeners originally ran for three seasons between 2008 and 2010, centring around a group of misfit sixth formers navigating all the awkwardness that teenage life had to throw at them.

During its time on the air, it earned a loyal following and won numerous awards, including three British Comedy Awards and a National Television Award, as well as being nominated for a TV Bafta.

It also spawned two spin-off films, released in 2011 and 2014, both of which revolved around chaotic and cringe-worthy lads’ holidays.

The Inbetweeners and its two spin-off movies are currently streaming on Channel 4.

Donald Trump claimed he and his workers helped at ground zero the day after the 9/11 terrorist attacks ― a claim he’s made before, despite no evidence that he or his employees were doing so.

“I went down. I was building a building in New York and I had a lot of construction workers,” Trump told Fox News host Trey Gowdy. “And I went down there very shortly thereafter ― the following day, you couldn’t go down the same day, but like the following day, very very quickly afterwards ― and we worked long and hard.

“But it was just so terrible and so hopeless, it was so hopeless, such a terrible thing.”

Trump has made variations on this claim many times over the years, but there’s no evidence he worked at ground zero or provided hundreds of his own workers to the efforts there.

“Everyone who helped clear the rubble — and I was there, and I watched, and I helped a little bit,” he claimed in 2016.

In 2019, while speaking to first responders, he also recalled working at the scene.

“I was down there also, but I’m not considering myself a first responder,” he said. “But I was down there. I spent a lot of time down there with you.”

Trump did visit the site two days after the attack on September 13, but it’s not clear what, if anything, he did.

In an article published a day later, Newsday described Trump at the scene with “every hair in place and impeccably dressed in a black suit, pressed white shirt and red tie, walking into the plaza with his cellular phone to his ear.”

The reporter even picked up what he was saying into his phone: “No, no. The building’s gone.”

In an interview that same day with a German TV station a few blocks away, Trump claimed he had a “couple of hundred people” either at the scene or on their way.

He’s also shared a meme claiming he was there “with hundreds of workers that he paid out of his own pocket.”

But that’s never been corroborated, and those who were on the scene have doubts.

Richard Alles, a retired New York City Fire Department deputy chief, told Snopes he never saw Trump or Trump employees on the scene.

“This is the first I’m hearing of it,” Alles told the website in 2018. “There would have been no need for that. Between police, fire and the construction crews, we had it all covered.”

He said construction crews came from the trade unions, not Trump.

And that’s just one of the many unsubstantiated claims he’s made about 9/11 over the years.

He’s claimed he lost “hundreds” of friends that day, but never named any. Shortly after the towers fell, he bragged that he now owned the tallest building in lower Manhattan, which was both insensitive and untrue. He’s said he witnessed people jump from the Twin Towers from the windows in his apartment in Trump Tower, which was four miles away. And he has insisted ― falsely ― that he saw “thousands” of Muslims “cheering” the attacks in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Critics on X hit back at his latest claim that he brought workers to help at ground zero shortly after the attacks:

Susan Sarandon has alleged that she has missed out on multiple work opportunities due to her staunch support of Palestine.

Over the weekend, the Oscar winner took part in a Q&A at the Venice Film Festival, where she is promoting her new movie The Echo Chamber.

During the conversation, Susan – a long-time advocate for Palestine and its people amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East – suggested that there’s been something of a sea change in recent times on this issue, particularly in the United States.

“I think that the narrative has completely changed in terms of historical relevance of Palestine and the ties of Zionists with America and our politics,” she claimed (as reported by The Guardian).

“That has been a major revelation for people. How much money the United States gives to Israel, nobody really understood that.”

However, she added that she’s “still had movies taken away recently” due to what she referred to as “agencies that are telling people not to hire me still”.

“But that’s the power structure,” Susan added. “I think within the people – certainly internationally – I feel welcome.”

Susan’s comments come less than two weeks after Mark Ruffalo was forced to deny what he described as “appalling” allegations of antisemitism against him, following his criticism of the proposed merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount. The Marvel star had pointed out the latter studio is owned by the family of Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, whose company has ties to the Israeli military.

“Criticising the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticising Jewish people,” he said.

More recently, George Clooney was also asked about the public furore during his own interview in Venice, insisting he is in favour of “Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely”.