International News
UK Gov’t Announces Cobra Meeting After Violent Unrest Across The Country
Downing Street has announced an emergency response meeting for Monday following the arrest of over 150 individuals due to violent unrest in various UK towns and cities over the weekend.
This development comes after Sir Keir Starmer denounced an attack on a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, vowing that those responsible for the unrest would face “the full force of the law.”
Police were called to violent incidents in Rotherham, Middlesbrough, Bolton, and other locations across the UK on Sunday.
Watch Video: violent Protest And Riots Have Broken Out Across Britain
The Cobra meeting follows some of the most severe rioting seen in the UK in recent years, triggered by the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport last week.
In the days following the stabbings, violence has erupted in various parts of England and Northern Ireland, which politicians attribute to misinformation on social media and far-right groups stoking tensions.
Cobra meetings, named after Cabinet Office Briefing Room A in Whitehall, involve a committee of ministers, civil servants, police, intelligence officers, and other relevant officials to address emergency situations.
Monday’s meeting aims to update the government on the weekend’s violence and plan the response for the coming days. It will include relevant ministers and police representatives.
Sources indicate that this meeting is part of ongoing efforts, including a previous meeting between the prime minister and police chiefs last Thursday, and a senior ministers’ meeting on Saturday.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper highlighted the role of social media in exacerbating the situation, calling it a “rocket booster” for spreading misinformation and organizing violence.
She urged social media companies to take responsibility and ensure that online criminal activity is addressed.
When questioned about Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League, spreading misinformation online, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper refrained from commenting on specific individuals but emphasized, “if it’s a crime offline, it’s a crime online.”
“You can’t have people inciting and organizing violence from behind a screen without facing consequences,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme.
In a televised address on Sunday, the prime minister warned those involved in the unrest that they will “regret” their actions.
Sir Keir said: “People in this country have a right to be safe, and yet we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques… Other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric, so no, I won’t shy away from calling it what it is: far-right thuggery.”
The Home Office, in a statement, announced the introduction of new measures to enhance protections for mosques, including the option for “rapid security” deployment to quickly restore worship services.
In Rotherham, anti-immigration demonstrators injured at least 10 police officers, with one left unconscious after being struck with planks of wood and sprayed with fire extinguishers, according to South Yorkshire police.
The officer who was knocked unconscious suffered a head injury, and at least two others are suspected to have broken bones.
While hotel employees and residents, including asylum seekers, were “terrified,” no injuries were reported among them.
Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, noted that there were “240 people” in the hotel during the attack and expressed concern for the asylum seekers, who have already faced violence and persecution in their home countries. “I can’t imagine how terrified they must have been,” he said, confirming that all asylum seekers were safely evacuated.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the violence as “utterly appalling” and assured that police have the government’s full support to take “the strongest action” against those responsible.
At a second hotel in Tamworth, Staffordshire, officers responded to “violent acts of thuggery” on Sunday evening, according to Staffordshire Police.
One officer was injured as individuals threw missiles, smashed windows, and started fires at the site.
David Felton, Assistant Chief Constable of Cleveland Police, reported that 43 people have been arrested following the “staggering” violence. He also confirmed that police will maintain a presence in the area throughout the day.
The United States Department of Defense has fired the editor-in-chief, publisher and a reporter of a long-running military newspaper amid a growing dispute over editorial independence.
The newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Erik Slavin, told CBS News that he was dismissed for “insubordination” after speaking to the network about disagreements with the Department of Defense.
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The department had earlier this year said it wanted to steer the publication’s coverage away from what it described as “woke distractions.”
The newspaper’s publisher, Max Lederer, who had served in the position since 2007, was also notified that he was being terminated. His dismissal came just three days after he announced plans to retire from the publication.
Reporter Lara Korte also confirmed that she had been fired for alleged insubordination.
“Today, I was informed that the Department of Defense is firing me for insubordination after I told a CBS reporter that I work for Stars and Stripes — not the Pentagon, not any administration, and not any policy maker,” Korte wrote on X.
The dismissals came only days after the newspaper published a report detailing grim conditions faced by crewmembers aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The report triggered fresh criticism of President Donald Trump’s handling of the war with Iran. The aircraft carrier had been deployed before the conflict in the Middle East began in February.
Last weekend, the US military announced that a new carrier strike group had arrived in the region, while Trump said the Lincoln would be replaced.
Slavin had also drawn attention last month after publicly opposing what he described as attempts by the Department of Defense to interfere with the newspaper’s editorial decisions.
During an interview on “CBS Sunday Morning,” Slavin was asked whether there were any editorial red lines he would not cross.
“‘Don’t run a perfectly accurate story, run this instead. Here it is, written by the Pentagon.’ That would be a red line,” he said.
Lederer had announced his retirement on Tuesday, with his departure initially scheduled for September 30.
He said his decision followed fundamental differences between his leadership philosophy and the plans the Department of Defense had for the organisation.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has faced criticism from sections of the media over his approach to journalism since taking charge of the department in 2025.
The independence of US military media outlets has increasingly come under scrutiny.
Shortly before Lederer announced his retirement, active-duty US Navy Captain William Urban was installed as military deputy to the publisher, a move interpreted by some, including Democratic lawmakers, as weakening the publication’s editorial independence.
Ferrari’s first fully electric car, the Luce, has made automotive history after a bespoke version of the vehicle sold for a record $40 million at a charity auction in California.
The tailor-made Ferrari Luce “Chassis 0” was sold during Monterey Car Week on Saturday, becoming the most expensive new car ever sold at auction, according to collector car auction company RM Sotheby’s.
The winning bid was 36 times the car’s original estimate of $1.1 million.
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Ferrari USA celebrated the landmark sale in an Instagram post, saying, “The bids kept climbing. Then, history was made,” while describing the transaction as a new record for the highest-priced new car ever sold at auction.
The sale comes months after Ferrari unveiled the Luce in May. The electric model features a distinctive bubble-like design that differs significantly from the Italian automaker’s traditional angular styling and has received mixed reactions from some Ferrari enthusiasts.
Ferrari previously described the Luce as “a different sort of Ferrari for a different sort of Ferrari client.”
The Luce is powered by four electric motors, with one motor driving each of its four wheels.
The exclusive “Chassis 0” features a pearl-like semi-gloss finish with a personalised pigment that produces changing reflections ranging from green to violet when struck by light.
Its interior is equally distinctive, featuring Perla Le Mans metallic leather and black design elements against a predominantly white background.
Ferrari said proceeds from the record-breaking auction will go to The Ferrari Foundation to support educational initiatives.
Following the auction, the vehicle will return to Maranello, northern Italy, where it was built, before being delivered to the unnamed winning bidder in the first quarter of 2027.
Meanwhile, deliveries of the regular Ferrari Luce, priced at about €550,000 ($640,000), are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if the country obstructs efforts to reach a deal with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump made the threat on Monday during an interview with Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, amid ongoing discussions between Oman and Iran concerning control and navigation through the strategic waterway.
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“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump told Yingst, referring to the talks between Oman and Iran while the United States pursues its own discussions with Tehran.
Iranian and Omani officials have been negotiating for weeks over future maritime navigation arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that both sides were working towards a joint declaration.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a major flashpoint amid the ongoing Middle East conflict. Iran effectively restricted traffic through the waterway at the beginning of the war on February 28, while Trump has repeatedly insisted that the strategic route should be under US control.
On Friday, Trump said he could even declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory. Iran rejected the position, insisting that the crucial waterway would “remain Iranian.”
Before the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran, the Strait of Hormuz was regarded as an open international waterway. The route is critical to global energy supplies and carries significant volumes of oil and other commodities.
Iran has used its control over the strait as leverage against US-led efforts to weaken its military capabilities and force Tehran to abandon its controversial nuclear programme.
Trump also called on Iran to surrender, saying Tehran should “put up the white flag of surrender.”
Despite the growing tensions and the political pressure surrounding the conflict ahead of the November midterm elections in the United States, Trump said he was not in a hurry to reach a deal.
He further disclosed that his administration maintains a direct back-channel with officials of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
“They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” Trump was quoted as saying.
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