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Farage suddenly returns to political stage – but dodges questions about £5m gift

Reform UK leader has been unusually quiet in recent weeks – at great cost to the party during a crucial byelection

Fake images of Nigel Farage have been ubiquitous online lately – but the real politician has proved far more elusive since it was revealed seven weeks ago that he took a £5m personal gift from a crypto billionaire.

And while an AI-generated depiction of the Reform UK leader was falsely shown getting violent on BBC’s Question Time, Farage has been largely avoiding the TV studios where he might face questions over the cash.

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© Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters

© Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters

© Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters

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Libia e Hormuz, la doppia mossa di Erdogan per rovesciare il tavolo

Quali sono i piani turchi in Libia? Come si intrecciano le proiezioni di Ankara a Tripoli con la decisione di Turchia e Arabia Saudita di rilanciare la Ferrovia dell’Egira e, quindi, attraversare Siria e Giordania fino all’Arabia Saudita e all’Oman, collegando l’Europa al Medio Oriente? Il dossier energetico relativo alla crisi di Hormuz come potrà evolversi nel Mediterraneo, anche al fine di evitare l’influenza iraniana? Sono alcuni interrogativi che vanno posti alla luce dell’attivismo di Ankara che si mescola con le esigenze dei Paesi limitrofi, Italia in primis, in quella fascia di Paesi che va da Gibilterra al Bosforo. Punto di partenza, situazione in Libia, con la pianificazione tra Tripoli e Tobruk.

Della questione hanno discusso il capo dell’Alto Consiglio di Stato (Hcs), Mohammed Takala, assieme al direttore generale per il Nord e l’Est Africa presso il ministero degli Affari Esteri turco, Ali Onaner, alla presenza del primo vicepresidente Hassan Habib, del secondo vicepresidente Mousa Faraj e dell’Ambasciatore turco in Libia, Guven Begec. L’obiettivo è da parte di entrambi i soggetti rafforzare la cooperazione in vari settori, anche alla luce della situazione politica in Libia, che necessita di una maggiore stabilità e di un consenso nazionale globale che porti a conclusione le fasi di transizione.

Di contro, la pressione turca si manifesta anche a Tobruk, come dimostra l’incontro tra il comandante libico Saddam Haftar e la stessa delegazione turca per rafforzare i legami bilaterali e la ricostruzione. Onaner ha un chiaro mandato dal presidente Recep Tayyip Erdogan: trovare la quadra tra i vecchi nemici che sono di “stanza” a Tripoli e Tobruk e provare ad immaginare una formula che eviti contrasti e violenze. In questo senso la cooperazione congiunta per la ricostruzione è fondamentale, anche perché da questo elemento deriverebbe un impatto positivo sulla sicurezza regionale nel Mediterraneo.

Ma c’è dell’altro che si ritrova nel binomio energia e ferrovia. Lo storico progetto ferroviario dell’Hejaz è al centro dell’impegno turco grazie a un accordo con l’Arabia Saudita, dopo l’ok di Siria e Giordania. Così la cooperazione ferroviaria non solo potrebbe contribuire a rilanciare il progetto di collegamento dell’Hejaz, ma si candiderebbe a far diventare la Turchia il principale hub di transito tra il Golfo e l’Europa, tramite una base logistica ferroviaria che diventerebbe un crocevia fondamentale mentre la crisi nello stretto non accenna a stemperarsi.

Il ministro dei Trasporti turco Abdulkadir Uraloglu si è recato a Riyadh martedì per colloqui con i suoi omologhi sauditi, osservando che in questo momento delicato che la regione sta attraversando, il funzionamento ininterrotto del commercio e della catena logistica è diventato più critico che mai. “In questo periodo, rimuovere gli ostacoli che si frappongono al settore dei trasporti è una necessità strategica”, aggiungendo che Ankara mira ad attivare le vie di trasporto attraverso Siria, Giordania e Iraq. Infatti i due viaggi di prova, passando per l’Iraq, hanno dimostrato la fattibilità di questa rotta.

In prospettiva, la ferrovia potrebbe spingersi fino all’Oman e all’Oceano Indiano, così da creare un corridoio commerciale alternativo che aggiri lo Stretto di Hormuz.

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Stephen Ogilvie’s family appeal for calm on second night of disorder – as it happened

This blog is now closed. Read our main report here: Police use water cannon against rioters in Northern Ireland

Hadi Alodid refused legal representation and made no reply to charges which were put put to him through an Arabic interpreter as he appeared in court charged with attempted murder following the Belfast knife attack, the Press Association reports.

The 30-year-old, with an address at Duncairn Avenue in Belfast, appeared before the city’s magistrates’ court on Wednesday morning.

He is charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie on Monday, with threatening to kill an NHS radiographer on the same day and with the possession of a knife.

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© Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

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Violent Anti-Immigration Riots Erupt Across the UK Following Belfast Stabbing

Anti-immigration riots in the UK, Belfast
Homes were set on fire in Belfast. Video screenshot/Sky News

Widespread anti-immigration riots broke out across the UK on Tuesday following a particularly violent knife attack in Northern Ireland. The unrest was triggered by news that a thirty-year-old Sudanese national had been charged with attempted murder. Prime Minister Keir Starmer strongly condemned the initial attack, labeling it both “horrific” and “sickening,” while stating he has zero tolerance for such violence.

Escalation of violence in Northern Ireland

🚨 BREAKING: A bus has been set on fire in Belfast amid protests over the attempted beheading of a man pic.twitter.com/FX8maCMalK

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 9, 2026

The unrest was most intense in Northern Ireland, where masked mobs caused extensive property damage on Tuesday evening:

  • Belfast: Riots resulted in multiple homes, a bus, cars, and street barricades being set on fire. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill condemned the rioters, stating that groups of masked men were “burning families out of their homes” in acts of “outright thuggery.”
  • Newtownabbey & Kilkeel: Blazes spread to neighboring towns, where verified social media footage showed protesters setting several vehicles ablaze.
  • Wider UK: Smaller, sporadic anti-immigration protests and clashes with police were also reported in other major UK cities, including London, Glasgow, and Bangor.

A large group rioters is attacking migrant HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation, a form of taxpayer-funded housing for asylum seekers) in Belfast. pic.twitter.com/o9yjynArd4

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 9, 2026

Social media fueling the anti-immigration riots in the UK

The catalyst for the riots was a viral video filmed by a witness during Monday night’s attack in North Belfast. The footage depicts a man pinning a bloodied victim to the ground and repeatedly stabbing him before bystanders and police intervened. Far-right and anti-immigration accounts widely circulated the footage online to mobilize public protests.

Further update from police sources, a property has been set alight in the Lendrick Street area of Belfast.

Emergency services are heading that way.

An earlier bus fire on the Newtownards Road has been extinguished. @BelTel pic.twitter.com/YuNYtTWIXf

— Kevin Scott (@Kscott_94) June 9, 2026

First Minister O’Neill warned that extremist groups are dangerously exploiting a heinous crime to target and intimidate innocent people who are just trying to live their lives.

The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. on Monday, June 8 on Canard Avenue in North Belfast. A man in his forties suffered severe wounds to his face, back, and eyes. He remains hospitalized in serious condition. Police recovered a kitchen knife at the scene.

A thirty-year-old man was arrested for attempted murder. Authorities confirmed he had traveled from Paris to Dublin before entering Northern Ireland in February 2023. He claimed asylum upon arrival and was granted legal residency in the UK until 2028.

Related: Far-Right Activist Robinson Spotted in Greece as Riots Spread in the UK

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Most Makerfield voters say offensive posts would put them off candidate, poll finds

Survey in run-up to byelection also finds support for water renationalisation, wealth tax and cap on political donations

A majority of voters in Makerfield say they would be less likely to vote for an election candidate if they have posted offensive content on social media, polling shows.

The polling for the campaign group 38 Degrees, undertaken by Survation, asked 518 voters in the Makerfield constituency for their views on a range of issues, with 55% saying they would be less likely to vote for a politician who has posted offensive material online.

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© Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters

© Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters

© Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters

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