Sir Keir Starmer has called for a senior Conservative who said Muslims praying in Trafalgar Square was “an act of domination” to be sacked.

The prime minister described Nick Timothy’s comments as “utterly appalling” and told Tory leader Kemi Badenoch that she should denounce his words and “sack him” as shadow justice secretary.

Speaking at prime minister’s questions Sir Keir said he had never heard the Conservatives call out anything other than Muslim events, which led him to conclude “the Tory party has got a problem with Muslims”.

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But Ms Badenoch defended her shadow minister, saying he was “defending British values”.

Mr Timothy posted a video of hundreds of Muslims praying in Trafalgar Square on Monday evening as they celebrated iftar, the meal that breaks the Ramadan fast.

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan hosted the event, and he could be seen praying with others and giving a speech in which he celebrated Jewish, Christian, Hindu and atheists who joined them.

Mr Timothy, who a chief of staff for Theresa May when she was PM, wrote: “Too many are too polite to say this but mass ritual prayer in public places is an act of domination.

“The adhan [call to prayer] – which declares there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger – is, when called in a public place, a declaration of domination.”

He said “these rituals” should be performed in mosques “but they are not welcome in our public places and shared institutions”.

“I am not suggesting everybody at Trafalgar Square last night is an Islamist. But the domination of public places is straight from the Islamist playbook,” he added.

“It was an act of domination and therefore division. It shouldn’t happen again.”

‘London will always be a place for everyone’

Sir Sadiq hit back at Mr Timothy by posting pictures of Monday night’s gathering along with photos in Trafalgar Square of crowds celebrating Christian Easter, Hindu Diwali, Sikh Vaisakhi and Jewish Hannukah.

“London is, and will always be, a place for everyone. #UnityOverDivision,” he wrote on X.

Former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve described Mr Timothy’s comments as a “very odd post from a Conservative who says he believes in freedom of expression under law and is a principal spokesman of the Free Speech Union”.

He asked if he was advocating to “enact discriminatory legislation targeted at Muslims”.

‘Stop fanning flames of division’

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told Mr Timothy to “stop fanning the flames of division” as he too pointed out Sikhs, Jews, Hindus and Christians “are all invited to mark religious festivals on Trafalgar Square by Sadiq Khan”.

Lucy Powell, deputy leader of the Labour Party, called it “an extreme reaction” as she said people of all religions working together is the “real Britain, not the desperate hatred being whipped up here by a leading Tory”.

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Support for Timothy

But Mr Timothy was defended by Tory colleagues. Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden told Sky News he thought mass prayer in public places can be an act of domination “in certain circumstances for all sorts of different groups”.

Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake wrote on X: “We support Nick Timothy 100%.”

Mr Timothy doubled down on Wednesday and accused people of “wilful misunderstanding” which he said “says everything about the people behind the ‘Islamophobia’ definition”.

He said the point was not that Muslims gathered on Trafalgar Square but that “mass ritual prayer in public – in this case next to a church – is an act of domination”.

“So is the public call of the adhan, which explicitly denies other religions includes Christianity – that is the difference,” he said.

He accused Mr Grieve and Labour MPs of failing to “engage with the substance”, and said “people like Dominic can’t work out why the ideological world they built is falling apart”.

A federal judge in Minnesota declined to step aside from an immigration-related case despite a conflict-of-interest challenge tied to his spouse’s legal work.

The U.S. Department of Justice plans to appeal the judge’s order, which called the government’s motion “improper, untimely, and lacking merit.”

Last week, the DOJ formally moved to disqualify U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan, arguing his impartiality could reasonably be questioned because his wife serves as Minnesota’s solicitor general under Democrat Attorney General Keith Ellison and is leading a separate lawsuit against federal immigration enforcement actions at issue in Bryan’s courtroom.

In its filing, DOJ emphasized that federal law requires recusal when “a judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned,” noting the standard is meant to avoid even “the appearance of partiality” — noting that “public perceptions of partiality can undermine confidence in the courts.”

APPEALS COURT DISMISSES DOJ MISCONDUCT COMPLAINT AGAINST FEDERAL JUDGE

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan, seen during 2023 confirmation hearing, declined to recuse himself from an immigration case in Minnesota. (Alex Wong/Getty Images; Senate Judiciary Comitteem)

The motion pointed to significant overlap between the habeas case before Bryan and the state’s lawsuit led by his spouse, both of which challenge the legality of “Operation Metro Surge,” a large-scale federal immigration enforcement effort. 

According to the filing, both cases allege that federal agents conducted “warrantless arrests,” engaged in “racial profiling,” and “terrorized, assaulted, and harassed” individuals.

DOJ stressed that the issue is not whether Bryan is personally biased, but whether a reasonable observer could question his neutrality given the circumstances.

“The Court must consider whether the public might reasonably question Judge Bryan’s impartiality,” U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen’s filing concluded.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is suing outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for Operation Metro Surge for unlawful and unconstitutional actions. (SAUL LOEB/AFP; Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg)

The department also noted that Bryan “did not disclose his marriage relationship” to the parties, arguing that disclosure is a prerequisite for any waiver of potential conflicts under federal law.

READ THE ORDER ON MOTION FOR DISQUALIFICATION – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

Judge Bryan denied the recusal request, allowing himself to remain on the case. The DOJ has indicated it will appeal that decision, setting up a potential higher court review of the recusal standards and their application in politically charged immigration litigation.

Outgoing DHS Secretary Krisit Noem is one of those named in the lawsuit. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The dispute comes amid broader legal battles over Operation Metro Surge, which plaintiffs claim involved unconstitutional enforcement tactics, while federal officials have defended it as a lawful exercise of immigration authority.

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Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.

Preparations for Eid ul Fitr 2026 have started in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). middle east Amidst the ongoing war, a major change has been made by the UAE administration regarding Eid. The UAE has banned places of offering prayers in the open and has announced that Eid prayers will be offered only in mosques.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Endowment and Zakat has announced this. This major change has been made due to the tension and sensitivity created in the Gulf region due to the war between America, Israel and Iran. This change is giving a new shape to the way of celebrating Eid this year.

Appeal to follow the rules

Usually in UAE, people celebrate Eid ul Fitr with prayers by gathering in open spaces. Thousands of people gather since morning to celebrate Eid, but this time it will not be seen like this. This has been confirmed by the officials. An appeal has been made to the worshipers to follow the guidelines of the mosque and reach before time to avoid crowd.

Claim of arrangements to handle the crowd

Eid This change related to Namaz seems to be related to management. However, Eid namaz is not limited to just a religious obligation, but it is also linked to the emotions of the people. People can offer namaz together with their families in the open fields. At the same time, more people gather in mosques than the space available. However, people have been assured that complete arrangements have been made to handle the crowd in mosques.

The General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowment and Zakah announced the establishment of Eid al-Fitr prayer inside the mosque at the state level. pic.twitter.com/8eyBRsGH9J

— UAEGOV (@UAEmediaoffice) March 17, 2026

No change in namaz timings

There has been no change in the timing of Eid prayers. Let us tell you that in UAE, Eid prayers are usually offered between 5.45 am to 6.30 am after sunrise, after which sermons and prayers are given.

The purpose of this decision is to ensure the safety of the people and to organize this large-scale event smoothly. This becomes more important when there is uncertainty in the area.

The weather has once again taken a turn in the Kashmir Valley and high hilly areas of Ladakh. Due to fresh snowfall and heavy rain in the plains, cold wave like situation has returned in the entire valley. This rain and snowfall has completely put a break on the unusually high temperature and heat that has been going on for the last few weeks.

Fresh snowfall has been recorded near ‘Peer Ki Gali’ located on the historic Mughal Road in Shopian district. Along with this, the world famous tourist destinations Gulmarg, Sonamarg and most of the mountains of the valley are now covered with white snow. Intermittent snowfall has been continuing in these higher areas since Sunday morning. At the same time, there has been continuous good rainfall in the lower and plain areas of the valley including the capital Srinagar, which has provided much-awaited relief to the entire region and the water needs have been fulfilled.

sharp drop in temperature

Due to continuous rain and snowfall, a huge drop in temperature has been recorded. The maximum temperature in Srinagar on Tuesday was 14.9 degrees Celsius, which is about one degree less than normal. The temperature at other weather stations in the valley has also fallen below normal. Due to cloudy sky for the last few days, the day has become significantly cooler, while the nights are feeling relatively warm.

Meteorological Department’s forecast and alerts

The Meteorological Department has predicted that the weather will remain unstable till March 20. Possibility of heavy snowfall during this period: There may be moderate to heavy snowfall in Chenab Valley and some higher areas of South Kashmir. Intermittent light to moderate rain and snowfall will continue at other places.

• Storm and hailstorm: A warning has been issued of strong winds at a speed of 40-50 kilometers per hour, thunderstorms and hailstorm at some isolated places till March 20.
• Weather ahead: Between 26th and 28th March, there may be a change in the weather once again, due to which there may be light rain or snowfall in the higher areas.

Special advisory for farmers

In view of the continuously worsening weather and high risk of hailstorm Season The department has asked farmers to be cautious. Farmers have been strictly advised to completely stop all their agricultural operations related to fields and orchards till March 20, so that any possible damage to the crops can be avoided.

Researchers have revealed how many illnesses children get in their first year of nursery – and why it makes them more resilient to bugs when they start school.

It comes after experts decided to put together the first major study of the impact of illness among youngsters after noticing how frequently their own children were sick during the first year of formal childcare.

The authors also said that vaccination is one of the most effective things parents can do to protect their children from illnesses.

Toddlers and pre-schoolers will get 15 illnesses in their first year of nursery, leading to around 13 days off through sickness, the study found.

This also means employers should have “realistic expectations” about the levels of sickness absence for children, parents and carers, the authors wrote in Clinical Microbiology Reviews.

The nursery settings can serve as an immune system “boot camp” which helps children to build up resilience against bugs in the years ahead, according to the research.

During their first year of formal childcare, babies and children are expected to have 12 respiratory illnesses, such as coughs and colds, the study found.

There would also be two episodes of diarrhoea and/or vomiting illness, and at least one illness that involves a rash – such as scarlet fever, slapped cheek or hand, foot and mouth.

Children who go to nursery experience more infections from age one to five than those who remain at home until starting school, the researchers said.

But once they start school, this pattern is reversed as children without prior childcare experience get sick more frequently.

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The researchers added that early exposure to illnesses in group childcare settings appears to provide some protection for the early school years, likely due to acquiring immunity to common infections.

Experts from UCL worked with colleagues from the University of Cambridge, Cornell University and North Middlesex University Hospital to examine immunology, infectious disease genomics, and epidemiology data.

Co-author Dr Leo Swadling, from the UCL Institute of Infection, Immunity and Transplantation, added: “Newborns have some protection against infection thanks to antibodies passed from the mother, but this wanes in their first year, leaving infants – especially those starting childcare – more vulnerable to infections.

“It’s normal for children to get sick a lot because their immune systems have never seen these bugs before – but then nursery serves as a ‘boot camp’ for their immune systems, building up resilience for the years ahead.

“Vaccines are a key way to protect children from serious infections in childcare, so we encourage parents to keep their children up to date with all available vaccines.”