Cindy McCain said she had spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu about allowing more food into the strip

Israel’s defence ministry has criticised the UK government for excluding its officials from a London arms fair next month, calling it an act of “discrimination”.

A British government spokesperson said earlier that no Israeli government delegation would be invited to attend the Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) event, which will feature national delegations and private companies who showcase military kit and weapons at London’s Excel centre.

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Tottenham are poised to complete the £51.8m signing of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig. Personal terms have been agreed with the attacking midfielder and a medical has taken place.

Barring any last-minute hitches the deal will be a major boost for Thomas Frank, who has been hoping to add an attacking midfielder. Spurs have have missed out on Eberechi Eze, who joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace, and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.

Despite concerns about economy, poll shows optimism about trading prospects at highest level since 2014

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Confidence among UK businesses has grown despite anxiety about the state of the economy, in a rare slice of positive news for the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in the run-up to her autumn budget.

An August poll of UK companies by Lloyds Bank showed that improved sentiment among manufacturers and retailers helped push overall optimism within UK plc up by two percentage points, with 54% of companies now feeling confident in the current environment.

Stephen Kinnock warns ‘disorderly discharge’ could lead to worse consequences that current situation

The government has instructed a contractor to remove certain jobs at an immigration removal centre from a recruitment website after advertisements for floristry and hairdressing tutors emerged, reports the PA agency.

Outsourcing company Mitie, which manages the Heathrow immigration removal centre (IRC) near the west London airport, listed several roles online including a painting and decorating tutor and gym manager at the IRC for salaries that range between £31,000 and £38,000. One of the job descriptions includes responsibilities to deliver workshops in floristry, cake decorating, balloon-craft and arts and craft activities to “provide a safe, secure, stimulating, supportive and productive environment for residents”.

We do not believe all these roles are necessary and have told the Home Office to speak to Mitie to remove them.

My understanding of it is, they’re contractually obliged to have some kind of physical exercise, because you want to make sure that people aren’t falling into ill health, because that just makes it even worse for the taxpayer if we’re having to deal with that kind of thing.

But it seems that there’s been an excessive interpretation of those contractual obligations and Seema Malhotra, the immigration minister, I’m very pleased to say, has rapidly responded to this and instructed Mitie to delete those jobs, and that is a good move on her part.

Stephen Kinnock warns ‘disorderly discharge’ could lead to worse consequences that current situation

The government has instructed a contractor to remove certain jobs at an immigration removal centre from a recruitment website after advertisements for floristry and hairdressing tutors emerged, reports the PA agency.

Outsourcing company Mitie, which manages the Heathrow immigration removal centre (IRC) near the west London airport, listed several roles online including a painting and decorating tutor and gym manager at the IRC for salaries that range between £31,000 and £38,000. One of the job descriptions includes responsibilities to deliver workshops in floristry, cake decorating, balloon-craft and arts and craft activities to “provide a safe, secure, stimulating, supportive and productive environment for residents”.

We do not believe all these roles are necessary and have told the Home Office to speak to Mitie to remove them.

My understanding of it is, they’re contractually obliged to have some kind of physical exercise, because you want to make sure that people aren’t falling into ill health, because that just makes it even worse for the taxpayer if we’re having to deal with that kind of thing.

But it seems that there’s been an excessive interpretation of those contractual obligations and Seema Malhotra, the immigration minister, I’m very pleased to say, has rapidly responded to this and instructed Mitie to delete those jobs, and that is a good move on her part.

(Unheard of Hope)
On their second collaborative album, the couple based in Mexico City add pop shimmer and thundering blastbeats to their unique, always-surprising sound

In just five years, Guatemalan cellist Mabe Fratti has become one of experimental music’s biggest names. In addition to her spellbinding solo releases, she is an eager collaborator, working with the likes of Efterklang, the improv quartet Amor Muere – which she co-founded in her adopted home of Mexico City – and with her romantic partner, guitarist Hector Tosta, as Titanic. On the latter’s superb 2023 debut, Vidrio, they pioneered a genre-agnosticism that veered from squealing free-jazz saxophone to hammering drum grooves and aggressively processed cello, always anchored in Fratti’s soaring falsetto. It heralded the arrival of a group who embraced experimentation as much as earwormy melodies.

On Hagen, the duo double down on their convictions, complementing their unusual arrangements with a newfound pop shimmer. Opener Lágrima del Sol sets the tone: sparse hand claps and shards of distorted guitar mark the rhythm for Fratti’s lilting nursery rhyme melody, then clattering drums burst through. When the song feels on the verge of falling apart, it suddenly takes on shades of 80s synth-pop, with Fratti singing softly over Phil Collins-worthy toms and twinkling keys. This kind of joyous surprise recurs throughout the record. Escarbo Dimensiones develops from a minimal arrangement of drums, bass and atonal vocals into soft funk that nods to Sade. La Dueña slips from distorted cello and cymbal washes into a dramatic synth ballad that channels Kate Bush’s yearning vocals; La Trampa Sale erupts from a trudging beat into an arena-sized, reverb-laden chorus.