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Two Jewish men aged 76 and 34 were stabbed in Golders Green, north London. Essa Suleiman, 45, a British man born in Somalia, was charged with their attempted murder and, earlier on the same day, that of Ishmail Hussein (whom he had known for about 20 years) in Southwark. The Golders Green attack was declared a terrorist incident. Sir Mark Rowley, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, condemned Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green party, for reposting a message on X accusing the police of ‘repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head when he was already incapacitated by Taser’; Mr Polanski apologised. Asked if he wanted tougher policing of the language used at protest marches, or if he wanted to stop them altogether, Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, said: ‘I think certainly the first, and I think there are instances for the latter.’ The terrorism threat level was increased from substantial to severe, meaning that a terrorist attack is considered highly likely in the next six months. Four Palestine Action activists were convicted of £1 million of criminal damage at the site of an Israel-based defence company near Bristol; one was found guilty of grievous bodily harm by hitting a police sergeant with a sledgehammer.
Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham positioned themselves to take advantage of Sir Keir’s stricken fortunes as Labour leader. Sir Keir and Ursula von der Leyen said that Britain joining a £78 billion European Union loan scheme to support Ukraine would be a ‘major step forward in the UK-EU defence industrial relationship’. In the seven days to 4 May, 894 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats. Lord Harries of Pentregarth, the retired Bishop of Oxford, died aged 89. Dame Shirley Porter, the former leader of Westminster Council, died aged 95. The 14th Duke of St Albans, hereditary Grand Falconer of England, died aged 87.
In a scheme to deal with shortages of aviation fuel, airlines would be allowed to cancel flights in advance this summer without losing slots. The government’s long-term borrowing costs hit the highest level since 1998, with 30-year gilt yields reaching 5.78 per cent. The Bank of England left interest rates unchanged at 3.75 per cent. In the first three months of the year 161 pubs closed. Wu Yize, 22, from China, beat the English player Shaun Murphy, 43, to win the World Snooker Championship.
Abroad
President Donald Trump launched ‘Project Freedom’ to guide stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz from the Gulf, where about 20,000 sailors had been trapped since the end of February. A US-flagged Maersk vessel, the Alliance Fairfax, passed through the strait. America said it had hit seven Iranian fast boats. Brent crude jumped to $115 after an attack on the oil port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. Mr Trump then said ‘Project Freedom’ would be suspended. Israel bombed southern Lebanon. America said it was to withdraw 5,000 of its 36,000 troops from Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the United States had been ‘humiliated’ by Iranian negotiators.
President Vladimir Putin was reported to have been spending weeks in bunkers in southern Russia to avoid assassination. Russia launched drone and missile attacks against Ukraine. Ukraine said it had struck three Russian oil tankers with drones and damaged the terminal at Primorsk on the Baltic. Two people were killed and many injured when a car drove into a crowd in Leipzig; the driver was arrested. The video game retail chain GameStop made a £41 billion offer to take over eBay. In the United States, Spirit Airlines closed down. Amsterdam banned public advertisements for burgers, petrol cars and airlines. California introduced regulations to fine autonomous vehicles from July for breaching traffic laws. A trainee driver drove a bus into the Seine at Juvisy-sur-Orge, 12 miles from Paris; two passengers were rescued from the water.
The Bharatiya Janata party of Narendra Modi won the state election in West Bengal, India; in Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin’s party was swept aside by the actor-turned-politician Vijay’s TVK party. An explosion at a firework factory in Liuyang, China, killed 26. The King visited Bermuda on his way back from America. Three passengers on a ship from Argentina bound for Cape Verde died of suspected hantavirus, contracted from rodents; the Spanish government said the MV Hondius could dock in the Canary Islands, which the local leader opposed. CSH
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