In 2016, a man who called himself “DJ Cock” was filmed being thrown out of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, dressed as a golden penis. His real name was Yisrael “Srulik” Einhorn and 10 years on he is at the centre of a scandal – “Qatargate” – that could change votes in Israel’s knife-edge general election.
Einhorn and two aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are accused of working for Qatar. The aides are Netanyahu’s senior media adviser, Jonatan Urich, and the prime minister’s military spokesman, Eli Feldstein. The men have largely denied the accusations.
A former prime minister, Naftali Bennett, called the affair the “most serious act of treason” in Israel’s history if proved true.
Noah Woods drowned after slipping through ‘gap in playground fence’
Noah Woods, the three-year-old boy who was the subject of a huge search in Suffolk, drowned after escaping “through a gap in the fence” at a playground, an inquest has heard.
Major search for toddler
The toddler, who had a speech delay and was partially deaf, became separated from a relative at a playground in Brantham village on 15 September.
A major search was carried out, with at least 1,300 people helping to try find him in the 24 hours after he went missing, along with helicopters, dog units and police divers.
Noah ran out of sight
Police told Suffolk Coroner’s Court that Noah had left the playground, walked into a memorial garden and left that through an open gate.
- He then ran down a path on a new housing estate towards the nearby Decoy Pond.
- Det Ch Insp Matt Connick from Suffolk Police told the court that CCTV showed Noah playing in the area with a relative close by.
- After he had left the play area, he was closely followed by the relative trying to catch up with him, he added.
- The inquest heard the relative had shouted out to Noah, but he went out of sight shortly afterwards.
Police divers recover boy’s body
Police divers from the Metropolitan Police searched Decoy Pond the next day. They found the boy’s body five metres from the edge of the pond within submerged tree roots at a depth of 1.8 metres.
Noah’s death was confirmed at 4.31pm by paramedics and his identity was formally confirmed by his mother, at Ipswich Hospital that evening, the inquest heard.
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- The inquest has been adjourned until a later date.
- In tribute shared by Suffolk Police, his family said that Noah was a “happy, cheeky, playful” boy who was being assessed for autism.
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‘The centre of our world’
He was part of a loving and caring family, living with his mummy, daddy and his little baby brother. He was at the centre of our world… Despite the challenges he faced, he was learning every day. He was saying new words all the time and had only just started finding and using his little voice.
dr pauline swift, the charity chair of blood pressure uk
Pope Leo arrives in France for first papal visit in 18 years
Pope Leo has arrived in France for a whirlwind four-day papal visit – the first in 18 years.
Leo, who became pope in May last year, said he wished to be a pilgrim of peace for a world at war, as he prepares to meet victims of the Catholic Church abuse scandal.
Pope meets with Macron
Earlier this year, the first US pope criticised leaders who spend billions on wars, just days after a high-profile spat with US President Donald Trump over the Iran conflict.
Superstar fanfare
- Over a million people are expected to turn out to see him, with the highpoint being a Mass attended by half a million people in central Paris.
- Leo has built a strong following among Gen Z through addressing modern anxieties.
Visit hoped to repair Church image
Local Church leaders hope the trip will repair the Church’s standing after a 2021 report found that 330,000 French children had been abused by Catholic clergy and lay leaders over the past 70 years.
French bishops have since introduced compensation and safeguarding measures.
The pope will meet seven French victims of abuse by Catholic clergy on Sunday in Lourdes.
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AI presents ‘new dangers to international peace’, says pope
Leo, who has made AI concerns a cornerstone of his papacy, is expected to address the issue at UNESCO.
In a speech at the Vatican on Thursday, the pope said AI could benefit humanity, but has introduced “new dangers to security and international peace” and urged global leaders to “govern wisely”.
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In pictures: Leo’s visit to Paris
British rapper Yung Filly to face rape retrial
British rapper Yung Filly will face a rape retrial in Australia next June after a jury failed to reach a verdict in an earlier trial.
Filly, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was charged with the alleged rape and assault of a fan after performing at a nightclub in Perth in 2024.
No decision for rape charges
In July, a jury acquitted the 31-year-old of three counts of rape, one of assault and one of strangulation but found him guilty of two assault charges.
No decision was reached for three rape charges, which Barrientos has denied.
He is understood to have returned to the UK after the court granted him permission to leave Australia as part of his bail conditions.
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Sentencing to take place after retrial
Perth’s district court has set 15 June as the start date for the retrial, which is expected to last eight days.
Sentencing for the two assault charges that the jury found Barrientos guilty of will take place after the retrial.
Barrientos is known for his work with the YouTube collective Beta Squad and has previously appeared in the celebrity version of on Channel 4.
What the court heard in first trial
Barrientos had been on tour in Australia when he was accused of sexually assaulting the woman in his hotel room after he performed in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth.
- The court heard that the social media star had consensual sex with the fan in his hotel room, before she alleged he turned violent and refused to stop.
- During the trial, Barrientos told the court that he had “fancied” the woman when they met at the concert venue.
- He had been in the VIP area while she leaned over the barrier from the general area.
- He said the “vibes were good” between him and the woman when they arrived at his hotel later.
Prosecution calls Filly ‘entitled’
During the first trial’s closing arguments, prosecutor Danielle Clarke said Barrientos was an “entitled” man with a “moderate degree of fame” who had violated the fan “in the most intrusive way possible”.
His defence lawyer argued that the accuser’s evidence was full of “inconsistencies, embellishments and outright lies”.
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The UK’s pharmacy blackspots
Nearly 300,000 people have seen their local pharmacy shut this year, with dozens closing in shortage areas leaving patients with 17-mile round trips to pick up vital medicines.
Two sites closed per week
Analysis of NHS figures by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) revealed that 51 high-street pharmacies in England shut between January and August this year – the equivalent of two a week.
Of the total, 31 received government funding under a scheme to maintain vital access to medicines for patients in “healthcare shortage” areas.
The South West of England has been hit hardest by closures.
- Nine pharmacies closed across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.
- Three pharmacies alone closed in the Somerset town of Taunton.
- Closures are forcing patients to travel significant distances to access emergency prescriptions as well as contraception and clinical advice, particularly on a weekend, patient groups and pharmacies have warned.
- The recent closure of a Lloyds Pharmacy in Long Rock, Penzance, left patients with an up to 1 hour and 20-minute journey by public transport to access their nearest pharmacy – a 17-mile round trip.
Why are pharmacies closing?
Pharmacies have seen real-terms cuts of 40 per cent to their funding since 2016. Since then, 1,500 pharmacies have closed – meaning 9.9 million patients in England have seen their local chemist close, analysis shows.
Despite a £340m Government boost to pharmacy funding in May, NHS analysis for the Community Pharmacy England (CPE) body shows community pharmacies still face a funding gap of more than £2bn.
Just one in seven pharmacies are profitable, a separate survey by CPE of more than 2,900 pharmacies in July revealed.
Patchy medicine access
When a pharmacy closes, it can create pockets where patients will find it harder to access medicines, collect prescriptions and get advice from their local pharmacy. Closures often happen in areas where healthcare support is needed most so it intensifies health inequalities.
Dr James Davies, director of research and insights at Community Pharmacy England
Pressure on other NHS services
NPA leaders urged the Government to reform NHS’s contract with pharmacies. Around 90 per cent of a pharmacy’s work is funded through the NHS, they added.
William Pett, of Healthwatch, said longer distances were “difficult for those with limited mobility or no access to transport” and that is “is no surprise that some people end up turning to other parts of the NHS when they cannot get the help they need in their community”.
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The groundbreaking new DNA brain tumour test
A groundbreaking new DNA test will be offered to patients with brain tumours as part of a new pilot study, which NHS officials say will reduce average diagnosis rates from weeks to days.
Experts say the rapid genomic test can confirm a diagnosis within two hours – meaning medics can know the precise type of tumour even during surgery.
Huge boost to personalised care
The NHS said the test will be piloted in specialist centres around England.
Personalised care
It could help patients get personalised care sooner and help enrol them on clinical trials which they may have missed out on.
Officials said brain tumours are “notoriously difficult” to diagnose.
How does it work?
The cutting-edge technology works by quickly analysing the DNA or genetic code of a small tumour sample taken during biopsy or surgery, helping doctors identify what type of brain tumour the patient has.
There are more than 100 different types of tumours, which range from slow-growing to aggressive cancers.
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This remarkable rapid test has the potential to completely transform how we diagnose .
Professor Frankie Swords, NHS England’s medical director, added that the test is a “huge leap forward” for patients.
This is a huge leap forward for patients – a faster diagnosis means they can start the right treatment or access clinical trials sooner, while for some patients it could mean surgeons can make potentially life-changing decisions about their surgery while on the operating table.
Professor Frankie Swords, NHS England medical director
Health Secretary hails ‘incredible breakthrough’
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper called the technology an “incredible breakthrough”.
Dr Simon Newman of The Brain Tumour Charity added that it will help patients avoid the “‘cruel, traumatic’” experience of waiting weeks to find out which type of brain tumour they have and their prognosis.
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Why experts fear loss of rare flower shows the UK’s climate future
A rare flower may have gone extinct in southern England due to extreme heat and drought, in what experts fear is a “canary in the mine” for how climate change is affecting biodiversity.
Field gentian all but wiped out
Until recently, the field gentian was abundant in the New Forest, Hampshire.
It was previously thought these populations could survive hot summers, due to their sheer size – often more than 5,000 plants at each site – and their ability for seeds to move with livestock into more sheltered areas.
But successive heatwaves and drought – in the third extreme summer in five years – may have led to their loss from southern England.
Rare flower missing for two years
The Species Recovery Trust has been unable to locate a single field gentian plant in the New Forest for the second year in a row.
Dominic Price, director of the charity, said the purple flower grew in dry or “skeletal” grasslands, which are on the “absolute front line” of climate change as they become parched and dead in hot, dry weather.
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This loss of what was such an abundant plant is deeply worrying, and in many ways, it feels like a canary in the mine for how climate change is likely to accelerate species loss.
Dominic Price, director of the Species Recovery Trust
Is it gone for ever?
- Price said “there’s potential for a miracle” with a wet summer next year helping the plant stage a comeback.
- In the summer of 2022, when UK temperatures soared to 40°C for the first time, field gentian populations crashed in the south of England, and went extinct in Devon.
- But populations recovered slightly the following year.
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The Reform MPs who face losing their seats according to new poll
Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman are among four Reform UK MPs who would lose their seats if a general election were held tomorrow, fresh polling by YouGov shows.
Falling behind the Tories
Tory defector Danny Kruger and Sarah Pochin – who beat Labour in a 2025 by-election – would also be unseated, according to the leading UK pollster’s first large-scale election modelling since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister.
Although the party’s numbers of MPs would hugely increase, it would have fewer seats than the Tories overall, marking a significant fall when compared to last year’s polling.
How a Labour government could be formed
The poll predicts that Labour would be the biggest party in a hung parliament.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey recently ruled out forming a coalition with Reform or the Tories but stopped short of excluding a coalition with Labour.
However, to form a Parliamentary majority in this scenario, Burnham would also need to work with the SNP or Plaid Cymru.
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Reform expanding its operations
The polling comes as Reform is preparing a huge expansion of its operations around the country, targeting London, the South East, the South West and the East of England.
- Analysis of Reform job adverts by The i Paper suggests the party is pumping resources into areas where it wants to keep its high-profile Tory defectors.
There’s turmoil in the Liberal Democrats. And MPs are struggling for direction
Stagnant in the polls but still a potential kingmaker, the party’s at a crossroads – even its own members are asking what comes next.
Record number of assaults on Britain’s trains – what to know
Assaults on Britain’s railways have hit record levels, new figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have revealed.
The numbers
The data published on Thursday showed there were 13,464 reported assaults on people who were not railway workers between April 2025 and March 2026, an increase of 36 per cent compared to the previous year.
- 11,289 assaults on rail workers on mainline networks were also recorded, an increase of 12 per cent. This included 6,390 incidents of verbal abuse, 2,487 physical assaults and 2,412 threats.
Working to make railways safer
No-one on the railway should be subjected to violence, threats or abuse. We’re working with industry and our trade union colleagues to address work-related violence and harassment, including through recent guidance which sets out what we expect from rail employers.
Richard Hines, ORR’s chief inspector railways
Einhorn worked in advertising and started his own political consultancy. He clearly had talent as a provocateur: the golden phallus costume was to reflect a “post Brexit erectorial mood of restlessness”, he said at the time. He joined five of Netanyahu’s election campaigns between 2019 and 2022. Israel’s Channel 12 ran a headline: “Who said an adviser to Bibi can’t walk around dressed as a golden sex organ?”
Einhorn’s association with Qatar began innocently enough. His consultancy, Perception, was paid to spread the word that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar would be friendly to Jewish visitors. There was a good story to tell – the stadiums even had kosher food – but an investigation by the published this week found that Einhorn’s firm set up a fake news site and bogus social-media accounts to aid its efforts. The magazine carries no reply from Einhorn.
And the Qatari money reportedly kept coming after the World Cup ended. It was seemingly paid to plant stories in the Israeli media about Qatar’s role as a “peacemaker” – countering the narrative that the emirate was a state sponsor of terrorism.
The reported that Einhorn shared the money – tens of thousands of dollars a month – with Urich, who was “Netanyahu’s first phone call in the morning and last phone call before bed”. Feldstein is alleged to have been paid separately from a Washington lobbyist who worked for Qatar.
One of the stories concerned efforts to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Einhorn reportedly texted Feldstein a line to brief to journalists: “Egypt can no longer be trusted. From now on, only Qatar will lead the negotiations.”
The line was to be attributed not to the Prime Minister’s office but to “senior US officials”.
That night, Channel 12’s military correspondent, Nir Dvori, repeated this on air almost word for word. “The Americans are saying this?” asked the anchor. “The Americans!” replied Dvori. Einhorn, jubilant, reportedly texted that they were “giving birth to reality”.
Defending himself later, Dvori posted: “It never occurred to me that Netanyahu’s people were serving Qatar for a fee.”
Urich and Feldstein were arrested last year for “contact with a foreign agent, the acceptance of bribes, fraud, breach of trust and money laundering”. Police sent the file to prosecutors in January, but so far there have been no indictments.
Urich has denied any wrongdoing, arguing that Qatar was not an enemy state, and said he had been paid only in connection with the World Cup. Einhorn moved to Serbia and has refused to come home, at first denying he worked for Qatar and then changing his story, saying he’d only ever “sought to share the truth with the Israeli public — even when it was uncomfortable”.
Feldstein, meanwhile, said he didn’t realise he was participating in a Qatari campaign. Qatar’s line is that the whole thing is “journalistic propaganda”.
Whatever the truth, its impact on the political race in Israel could be very real.
Any mention of links to Qatar hurts Netanyahu because of its role in funding Gaza, and by default Hamas, before 7 October, 2023. It’s also a reminder that Netanyahu was in charge on Israel’s worst ever day, when some 1,200 people were killed in an attack launched from the Gaza Strip.
For many voters, what Netanyahu did, or failed to do, related to that day is the central issue of the campaign.
Netanyahu allowed Qatar to send money and humanitarian aid to Gaza for years, knowing it would benefit Hamas – and as a result weaken the Palestinian Authority and the chances of a unified Palestinian state. Einhorn himself was quoted as saying that “suitcases” of cash were transferred to Gaza, under the supervision of the Israel Defense Forces.
But ‘Qatargate’ boils down to allegations that the Prime Minister’s people worked for a country hosting Hamas at a time of war. Crowdsourced billboards put up during the current election campaign read: “Qatar Funded the Massacre and Netanyahu’s Office”.
For Netanyahu, who is clinging on and hoping to defy the odds by remaining prime minister, it looks on the surface like a catastrophic failure to control his officials while they worked a lucrative side hustle for a foreign power.
But there are allegations that Netanyahu, too, received Qatar’s cash.
Udi Levi, who once ran Mossad’s effort to stop terrorism financing, says leaked documents show Qatar trying to give Netanyahu millions of dollars. Qatar says the documents are fabricated. Netanyahu has accused Levi of using his Mossad background to “give an illusion of truth”.
The Prime Minister’s Office said “Netanyahu never received a shekel from Qatar” and that whoever spread such an “absolute and baseless lie” would “pay, and pay big”.
Netanyahu is now suing Levi – just one of six libel actions relating to allegations that he took money from Qatar.
Israeli voters are used to seeing their Prime Minister accused of corruption – he was charged in 2019 with bribery, fraud and breach of trust. That trial still grinds on, now in its seventh year, but Netanyahu’s perceived associations with Qatar could ultimately prove far more damaging.
On Thursday, Netanyahu took the UN General Assembly podium in New York as dozens of delegates walked out, inviting any remaining “moral cowards” to join them. His real audience was at home. He accused Qatar of hosting Hamas leaders and spending billions on universities and media to “brainwash young minds” against Israel and the West. It was a performance aimed at motivating his party’s base.
The general election, taking place next month, is too close to call. Opinion polls don’t suggest who the winner might be, and no single party will get enough seats to form a majority. A relatively small number of votes could change the outcome.
And that’s where the man who once wore a golden penis costume comes in.
A poll published in January by the Times of Israel suggests that half of Israelis – and 30 per cent of government supporters – think it treasonous to work for Qatar and the Prime Minister at the same time. In such a tight election, the ‘Qatargate’ scandal could help to decide Netanyahu’s fate.