THE MAN who held four people hostage at a Texas synagogue was on Sunday (16) identified by US authorities as a British citizen while UK police later arrested two teens over an attack that president Joe Biden called an "act of terror."
The captor, who died in the 10-hour siege in the small town of Colleyville on Saturday (15), was named by the FBI as 44-year-old Malik Faisal Akram, who sought the release of a convicted Pakistan prisoner.
Hours later, Britain's counter-terrorism police arrested two people and were questioning them in connection with the incident.
"Two teenagers were detained in South Manchester this evening. They remain in custody," the Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.
The FBI's field office in Dallas had earlier said there was "no indication" that anyone else was involved in the attack on the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue.
The four hostages - including a respected local rabbi, Charlie Cytron-Walker - were all freed unharmed, prompting relief in the United States, where the Jewish community and Biden renewed calls to fight anti-Semitism.
"There is no question that this was a traumatic experience," Cytron-Walker said in a statement.
"We are resilient and we will recover," he added.
A man identifying himself as Akram's brother Gulbar said in a Facebook post that the suspect had suffered from mental health problems.
"We would like to say that we as a family do not condone any of his actions and would like to sincerely apologise wholeheartedly to all the victims involved in the unfortunate incident," Gulbar said in the post to a Muslim community Facebook page in Blackburn, in northwest England - where British police said Akram was from.
Gulbar added that he had been in touch with law enforcement in Texas and that his family hoped to get Akram's body back to Britain for a funeral.
Biden declined to speculate on the motive but appeared to confirm reports that the hostage-taker was seeking the release of convicted terrorist Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist known as "Lady Al-Qaeda."
"This was an act of terror" committed by an assailant who apparently "insisted on the release of someone who's been in prison for over 10 years," Biden told reporters during a visit to a hunger relief organisation in Philadelphia.
Britain's foreign minister Liz Truss condemned the hostage-taking as an "act of terrorism and anti-Semitism."
Siddiqui, the first woman to be suspected by the United States of links to Al-Qaeda and a cause celebre in Pakistan and in south Asian jihadist circles, was detained in Afghanistan in 2008.
Two years later she was sentenced by a New York court to 86 years in prison for the attempted murder of US officers in Afghanistan.
She is currently being held at a prison in Fort Worth, Texas - about 20 miles (32 kilometres) away from the synagogue which Akram attacked.
Any links she may have to Akram remained unclear.
FBI special agent Matthew DeSarno told reporters in Colleyville after the standoff that the investigation would "have a global reach."
Britain's ambassador to Washington confirmed that British authorities were "providing our full support to Texas and US law enforcement agencies."
“Mind-blowing”
Cytron-Walker in his statement credited his congregation's previous security training from the FBI and others with their survival from a harrowing ordeal.
"In the last hour of our hostage crisis, the gunman became increasingly belligerent and threatening," the rabbi said.
"Without the instruction we received, we would not have been prepared to act and flee when the situation presented itself."
Other residents of Colleyville, about 25 miles northwest of Dallas, were left struggling to comprehend the incident.
"Colleyville... It's one of the safest towns in North Texas," said Austin Sewell, owner and founder of the North Texas Kings baseball club, whose field is across the street from the synagogue in a quiet residential neighbourhood.
"It's mind-blowing, to be honest," he said
At one point the standoff involved some 200 local, state and federal law enforcement officers massed around Colleyville.
A Facebook livestream of the congregation's Shabbat service appeared to capture audio of a man talking loudly, but did not show the scene inside the building.
One hostage was freed early in the standoff.
Hours later, after what police said were extensive negotiations, an elite SWAT team burst into the synagogue and the remaining three hostages were freed.
Journalists nearby said they heard a loud bang - likely a flash-bang grenade used as a distraction - and shots.
The siege had sparked an outpouring of concern from Jewish organisations.
Biden pledged to "stand against anti-Semitism and against the rise of extremism in this country."
INDIA’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the initiation of procurement for arms and equipment worth $12.31 billion (£9.05 billion), the defence ministry said on Thursday.
The council is headed by India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The approvals are part of a push to strengthen the armed forces through the purchase of various systems and platforms. The ministry said the proposals include armoured recovery vehicles, electronic warfare systems for the three services, and surface-to-air missiles.
“These procurements will provide higher mobility, effective air defence, better supply chain management and augment the operational preparedness of the armed forces,” the ministry said in an official statement.
Naval systems and battlefield upgrades
The DAC has also cleared the procurement of mine countermeasure vessels (MCMVs), super rapid gun mounts (SRGMs), and submersible autonomous vessels for the Indian Navy. According to the ministry, “these procurements will enable mitigation of potential risks posed to the naval and merchant vessels.”
Among the other projects approved are the acquisition of an integrated common mobility card for the armed forces, high-power radar, air defence tactical control radar, advanced radio systems, and electronic warfare systems. The procurement of these items will help in improving situational awareness, enhancing battlefield transparency, and reducing the sensor-to-shooter loop.
The DAC also gave approval for the procurement of an integrated common inventory management system for the tri-services. The ministry said this would help in efficient management of ordnance stores and streamline inventory monitoring, strengthening the supply chain network.
All procurements from Indian vendors
The entire value of the approved proposals is to be procured from domestic sources. The ministry said, “All these procurements will be made from Indian vendors under Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) and Buy (Indian) categories, giving a boost to the Indian defence industry.”
According to the statement, this move is in line with the government’s goal of achieving self-reliance in defence production and promoting the Indian industry under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.
The procurement will also involve the acquisition of guided extended range rockets and area denial munition type I for the Indian Army. The ministry said these will enhance the combat capabilities of the artillery forces.
The Defence Acquisition Council is the highest decision-making body in the Ministry of Defence for capital acquisition proposals.
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Forecasts indicate that the weekend will be unsettled
UK's second heatwave of 2025 ends with cooler temperatures setting in.
Tuesday recorded the year’s highest temperature at 34.7°C in London.
No return to heatwave conditions forecast for early July.
Showers expected in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, with drier weather ahead.
UK heatwave fades as cooler weather returns
Following a stretch of record-breaking heat, the UK has now entered a cooler phase, with no heatwave conditions forecast for the first half of July. This change comes after Tuesday became the hottest day of the year so far, with 34.7°C recorded in London’s St James’s Park.
However, the high temperatures that marked the start of July have now given way to more comfortable conditions. In many parts of the country, temperatures have dropped by more than 10°C, bringing relief from the extreme heat.
Temperature outlook across the UK
On Wednesday, temperatures ranged between 16°C and 26°C from north to south, with cooler, fresher nights expected. Over the next week, Scotland and Northern Ireland will see daytime highs in the mid to high teens, while England and Wales can expect low to mid-20s.
Friday is likely to be the warmest day in the near forecast, with 27°C or 28°C predicted in the far south-east. Despite this brief warm spell, meteorologists have confirmed that there is no indication of another heatwave during the first two weeks of July.
Rainfall expected after dry spell
After one of the driest springs on record and a similarly dry start to summer, some rainfall is forecast over the next five days, particularly in north-western parts of the British Isles.
Areas already affected by drought, including Yorkshire and North-west England, are under close monitoring. The Environment Agency reports that two-thirds of England’s rivers currently have flow levels classified as below normal or lower for this time of year.
Regions such as eastern Scotland and parts of Wales are also experiencing low water levels. Showers are expected to arrive on Thursday and Friday, mainly across Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Unsettled weekend ahead
Forecasts indicate that the weekend will be unsettled, with unpredictable showers across the UK. However, early signs suggest that higher pressure may build again during the second week of July, reducing the chances of rain and bringing more stable conditions.
Recap of 2025’s second heatwave
This week’s hot spell marked the second official heatwave in the UK for 2025. It lasted six days in Yorkshire and the Humber, and five days in central and eastern England.
An official heatwave is recorded when a region meets specific temperature thresholds for three consecutive days, which range from 25°C to 28°C depending on location.
The recent high temperatures were driven by a large area of high pressure stalled over Europe, sometimes referred to as a “heat dome.” Scientists continue to warn that climate change is making UK heatwaves more frequent and more intense, with such events expected to become increasingly common in future years.
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Matt Hancock arrives ahead of his latest appearance before the Covid-19 Inquiry on July 02, 2025 in London, England.(Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
BEREAVED families have condemned former health secretary Matt Hancock as "insulting" and "full of excuses" after he defended the controversial policy of moving untested hospital patients into care homes during the early days of the Covid pandemic.
Speaking at the Covid-19 inquiry on Wednesday (2), Hancock described the decision to discharge patients into care homes as "the least-worst decision" available at the time, despite the devastating death toll that followed.
Nicola Brook, a solicitor representing more than 7,000 families from Covid Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said Hancock's claims were "an insult to the memory of each and every person who died."
A spokesperson for the bereaved families group said: "We've waited years for this moment, hoping for truth. What we got was finger-pointing and evasion. Our loved ones were left to die without PPE, without testing or protection. Other countries protected their care homes. Ours were abandoned."
When the pandemic struck in early 2020, hospital patients were rapidly moved into care homes to free up beds and prevent the NHS from becoming overwhelmed. However, there was no policy requiring patients to be tested for Covid before admission until mid-April, despite growing awareness that people without symptoms could spread the virus.
Hancock told the inquiry: "Nobody has yet provided me with an alternative that was available at the time that would have saved more lives. I still can't see a decision that would have been less bad. None of the options were good."
The policy was later ruled unlawful by the High Court in 2022, which found it was "irrational" not to advise that patients should isolate from existing residents for 14 days after admission. Hancock faced sharp criticism over his previous claim that a "protective ring" had been placed around care homes. When challenged about this statement at a Downing Street press conference in May 2020, he admitted it was "rhetoric."
"I would stress in that piece of rhetoric, what I said is that we had 'tried' – it was not possible to protect as much as I would have wanted," he said.
The inquiry heard anonymous evidence from care home workers who said Hancock had "blatantly lied about the situation" and that they felt like "the sacrifice, a cull of older people who could no longer contribute to the society."
Sharon Cook, who lost both her parents during the pandemic, described the "lot of confusion" about guidance at the time. Her mother tested positive for Covid and died three days later.
A week after that, her father died, with care home staff showing her a Do Not Attempt Resuscitation form they claimed had been agreed in consultation with her.
"If they'd been using the proper form, a more up-to-date form, I would have had to countersign," she said. "If I'd been let in, would my dad still be with me? I don't know."
The inquiry has heard that more than 43,000 deaths involving Covid occurred in care homes across the UK between March 2020 and July 2022. A civil servant earlier this week described the figure as a "generational slaughter within care homes."
Hancock, who resigned from government in 2021 after admitting to breaking social distancing rules by having an affair with a colleague, said the discharge policy was "formally a government decision" signed off by the prime minister but "driven" by then-NHS chief executive Simon Stevens.
Throughout his evidence, Hancock offered no apology for the policy's consequences. He told the inquiry: "We were trying to do everything that we possibly could, we were in bleak circumstances."
The care sector module of the inquiry is expected to run until the end of July, with bereaved families continuing to demand accountability from those who made key decisions during the pandemic's early stages.
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Starmer has said the NHS must 'reform or die' and promised changes that would control the rising costs of caring for an ageing population without increasing taxes. (Photo: Getty Images)
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer will on Thursday launch a 10-year strategy aimed at fixing the National Health Service (NHS), which he said was in crisis. The plan seeks to ease the pressure on overstretched hospitals and shift care closer to people’s homes.
The NHS, which is publicly funded and state-run, has faced difficulties recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. It continues to experience annual winter pressures, repeated waves of industrial action, and a long backlog for elective treatments.
Starmer has said the NHS must “reform or die” and promised changes that would control the rising costs of caring for an ageing population without increasing taxes.
In a statement, Starmer said his Labour Party had inherited a health system in crisis when it took office a year ago, but that the new plan would “fundamentally rewire and future-proof” the service.
New health centres and waiting list cuts
The strategy includes the creation of new health centres that will offer a wider range of services in a single location. According to the government, this move is intended to reduce pressure on hospitals, help bring down waiting lists and end “perpetual firefighting” in the system.
After a first year in office marked by unpopular spending cuts and some costly U-turns, healthcare is one of the areas where Starmer’s government says it has made progress.
The government has delivered 4 million extra appointments – double the target set for the first year – and brought waiting lists to a two-year low. Starmer said the NHS would not be fixed overnight but added, “we are already turning the tide on years of decline”.
Talks with pharma sector and life sciences strategy pending
However, the government remains in a deadlock with the pharmaceutical industry over drug pricing. It also faces potential further strikes from healthcare workers and has yet to release its promised plan to accelerate development in the UK’s life sciences sector.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Starmer and Reeves during a visit to Horiba Mira in Nuneaton, to mark the launch of the Government's Industrial Strategy on June 23, 2025 in Nuneaton. (Photo: Getty Images)
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer on Wednesday said that Chancellor Rachel Reeves would remain in her role for “a very long time to come”, after she appeared visibly upset in parliament as questions were raised about her future.
Reeves was seen with tears rolling down her face during Prime Minister’s Questions, after Starmer did not confirm whether she would remain chancellor until the next general election, expected in 2029.
The moment came after the Labour government reversed its position on key welfare spending cuts, removing a multibillion-pound saving from the public finances and prompting speculation about Reeves’s position in the cabinet.
Following the incident, the pound dropped by more than one per cent against the dollar, and the London stock market also declined.
'The Chancellor is going nowhere'
A spokeswoman for Starmer told reporters later that Reeves had the Prime Minister’s “full backing”. A spokesman for Reeves said she had been upset due to a “personal matter”.
“The Chancellor is going nowhere. She has the Prime Minister’s full backing,” said Starmer’s press secretary.
When asked why Starmer had not voiced support for Reeves in the Commons, the spokeswoman said: “He has done so repeatedly.”
She added: “The Chancellor and the Prime Minister are focused entirely on delivering for working people.”
In a later interview with the BBC, Starmer said Reeves had done “an excellent job as chancellor” and would stay in the role “for a very long time to come”.
He said the tears had “nothing to do with politics” and described suggestions to the contrary as “absolutely wrong”.
Reeves to continue work from Downing Street
Asked about why Reeves was upset, her spokesman said: “It’s a personal matter, which, as you would expect, we are not going to get into.”
He added: “The Chancellor will be working out of Downing Street this afternoon.”
Starmer reversed the government’s welfare spending plan on Tuesday following a rebellion from Labour MPs, in what has been seen as a significant blow to his authority.
The decision to drop the cuts has left a gap of nearly £5 billion in Reeves’s fiscal plans, raising the prospect that she may have to increase taxes on “working people”—something she has said she would not do.
She has also ruled out changing her position that day-to-day spending must be funded by tax receipts rather than borrowing.