Wednesday 5 Adar – Anybody working for Iran in UK must register or face jail, government announces – Stock markets fall after US tariffs spark trade war fears – IDF Eliminates Head Of Hamas In Fierce Gun Battle In Jenin

Anybody who works for – or is a proxy of – the Iranian state will have to register their presence in the UK or face jail time.

Security minister Dan Jarvis said Iran, including its IRGC intelligence services and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, is being placed on the “enhanced tier” of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS).

That means any members of the Iranian state, or anybody acting on behalf of the state, carrying out “political influence activities” in the UK will have to register themselves with the scheme.

Failure to register is a criminal offence and can mean up to five years in jail. Iran is the first foreign power to be placed on the enhanced tier of the scheme, which has two levels aimed at strengthening the resilience of the UK’s political system against covert foreign influence.

The first level is a “political influence” tier, involving communications with senior decision makers such as UK ministers, MPs and senior civil servants.

Mr Jarvis said the scheme, which he called “a critical disruptive tool for the UK”, will be up and running by the summer.

Advert

Make Purim Unforgettable with Our Premium Corporate Gift Selections!

Stock markets around the world fell following the introduction of tariffs by President Donald Trump on goods entering to the US from China, Canada and Mexico.

Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and 20% tariffs against China.

Canada and China announced their own import taxes on US goods, while Mexico is said it had “contingency plans”, sparking fears of full-blown trade war.

The three major stock market indexes in the US sank following the news, while the FTSE 100 index of the UK’s biggest publicly-listed companies opened sharply lower on Tuesday and stock markets in Asia were also down.

Analysts have warned tariffs could push up prices for US households and could also have a knock on effect on consumers across the world, including the UK.

Trump threatened to impose the tariffs, which are a tax added to a product when it enters a country – on Canada, Mexico and China in response to what claims is the unacceptable flow of illegal drugs and illegal immigrants into the US.

But Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country was responsible for less than 1% of fentanyl entering the US and would retaliate with 25% tariffs on $150bn worth of US goods.

China swiftly announced its own counter measures, which include 10-15% tariffs on some US agricultural goods, including wheat, corn, beef and soybeans. Mexico is expected to announce its response later.

In the US, the Dow Jones closed 1.5% lower and the S&P 500 ended the day down1.8% on Monday, while in Asia on Tuesday, the Nikkei 225 dropped 1.2% and China’s Hang Seng Index was down 0.3%.

London’s FTSE 100 was lower in early trading while the main stock exchanges in Germany and France also dipped.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said he wanted to “make things right” with US President Donald Trump and to work under the US president’s “strong leadership” to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine.

In his first public comments since Trump halted US military aid to Ukraine, Zelensky said his public bust-up with Trump last week was “regrettable” and pledged to sign a key minerals deal with Washington.

He said initial stages of a peace deal could involve releasing prisoners of war and a truce in the sky and sea involving a ban on missiles, long-range drones and attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure — an idea that came from European leaders Monday. That would be followed by working with Washington on “a strong final deal,” Zelensky said.

A dramatic collapse in the Kyiv-Washington wartime alliance has played out in the open since an Oval Office clash between Zelensky and Trump last week, crescendoing with Ukraine’s top ally suspending crucial military aid.

“My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts,” Zelensky wrote in an English-language post to X.

“Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be,” the Ukrainian leader added. “It is time to make things right.”

In an apparent reference to Trump’s criticism following the contentious White House meeting on Friday that Zelensky does not want a peace deal, the Ukrainian leader said: “None of us want an endless war.”

Zelensky said that he had asked Ukrainian officials to contact US counterparts to obtain official information on the aid freeze.

“I have instructed the defense minister, our intelligence chiefs and diplomats to contact their counterparts in the United States and get official information,” Zelensky told Ukrainians in his evening address.

Trump’s stunning decision Monday to halt aid to Ukraine deepened fears in Kyiv and many European capitals that America was pivoting away from its allies — and towards Russia.

Moscow hailed Trump’s decision, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling it a “solution which could really push the Kyiv regime to a peace process”.

The European Union, which — along with Ukraine — is excluded from US-Russian negotiations towards a potential truce, has been scrambling to bolster support for Kyiv.

The urgency heightened with last week’s Trump-Zelensky clash, when Trump warned his Ukrainian counterpart “won’t be around very long” without a ceasefire deal.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday presented an EU plan to mobilize some 800 billion euros ($840 billion) for Europe’s defense.

The funding, she said, would “massively step up” support to Ukraine and provide it “immediate military equipment.”

The EU on Thursday is to hold an emergency summit aimed at cementing joint European support for Ukraine.

The IDF, Border Police, and Shin Bet overnight Monday expanded the military operation to thwart terrorism in the northern Shomron to additional areas in Jenin.

The IDF stated that the operation began with the arrest of the head of the Hamas terror organization in Jenin, carried out by undercover Border Police officers and IDF forces under precise Shin Bet intelligence guidance.

A gun battle ensued during the operation, and after an intense exchange of fire, the Israeli security forces eliminated Iser Saadi, the head of Hamas and another terrorist, and arrested three wanted terrorists.

During searches of the building where Saadi was hiding, Israeli security officers uncovered numerous weapons, including an M-16 rifle, a handgun, and additional combat equipment. Additionally, another armed terrorist who attempted to attack Israeli forces was eliminated.

B’Chasdei Hashem, the IDF spokesperson reported that there were no casualties among Israeli forces during the operation.

Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri says disarming the terror group is a red line for his movement and other armed Palestinian organizations in negotiations to extend the fragile Gaza ceasefire.

“Any talk about the resistance’s weapons is nonsense. The resistance’s weapons are a red line for Hamas and all resistance factions,” Abu Zuhri says.

The comments are made shortly after Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar demanded the “full demilitarization” of Gaza to proceed to the second stage of the truce that began in January.

Click here to see videos

For the UK Jewish Orthodox Community
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Erev Shabbos

To advertise click here or [email protected]:
Subscribe to our news

Unsubscribe

The email was sent to [email protected]