Met police looking into whether series of arson attacks against Jewish sites were carried out by Iranian proxies

The chief rabbi has said Jews in the UK are facing a “sustained campaign of violence and intimidation” after another attempted arson attack on a synagogue in London.

The incident at Kenton united synagogue in Harrow, north-west London, on Saturday night caused minor smoke damage to an internal room but no injuries or significant structural damage, according to the Community Security Trust, which monitors antisemitism and provides protection for Jewish communities in the UK.

Officers responded after group claimed to have targeted nearby Israeli embassy with ‘dangerous substances’

Kensington Gardens in London has reopened after the discovery of several suspicious items including two jars containing a powdered substance that was deemed to be non-hazardous, police said.

Officers in protective clothing responded to an incident near the Israeli embassy on Friday after counter-terrorism police investigated a video shared online in which a group claimed to have targeted the embassy with drones carrying “dangerous substances”.

Labour calls on Nigel Farage to sack candidates and says his party’s checks ‘clearly not fit for purpose’

Reform UK’s checks on candidates are “clearly not fit for purpose”, Labour has said after two more candidates in May’s local elections were accused of making offensive or potentially racist social media posts.

Meanwhile, it emerged that Restore Britain, the party set up by the MP Rupert Lowe after he left Reform, appeared to have accepted a donation from someone who has called publicly on social media for “another Hitler” to come to power.

After the attempted arson attack on a London synagogue, communities remain determined that ‘building higher walls’ will not stem rising tide of antisemitism

“How good and how wonderful it is when friends sit together,” reads a variation on a verse from Psalms painted high on the wall inside Finchley Reform Synagogue (FRS). For the congregation gathering in a cheerful hubbub before its Shabbat service on Friday evening, it felt like an especially apt sentiment.

Three days after the synagogue was the target of an attempted firebombing, hundreds of members made an extra effort to come together in determined, if slightly nervy, solidarity, joined by guests including local politicians, other faith leaders, police officers – and one particularly special group of neighbours.

Met describe ‘similarities’ with other recent attacks after business in Hendon was targeted on Friday

Counter-terrorism police are leading an investigation into an arson attack on a business in Hendon, north-west London.

The force said that, while it was not yet being linked to arson attacks on a nearby synagogue and Jewish ambulance charity, counter-terrorism officers were being deployed owing to “similarities” between the incidents.

Museum says The Music is Black is part of a push to reposition scene as central to UK’s cultural history

Jacqueline Springer is standing in the middle of the V&A’s new exhibition space looking wistfully at a pair of drainpipe trousers, a tailored suit jacket and a porkpie hat, which create the unmistakable silhouette of Pauline Black, lead singer of the 2 Tone group the Selector.

Springer is the curator of the V&A East’s inaugural exhibition, The Music is Black, a landmark survey of Black British music, which opens this weekend. It starts with the early drumbeats in Africa and takes us right up to the latest innovations in pop and drill via jungle, grime, garage and two-tone.

‘Discarded items’ assessed as officers investigate video in which group claims to have targeted embassy with drones

Police in protective clothing are responding to an incident near the Israeli embassy in central London as counter-terrorism officers investigate a video shared online overnight in which a group claims to have targeted the embassy with drones carrying “dangerous substances”.

The Metropolitan police said there was an increased police presence in Kensington Gardens as officers investigated a number of “discarded items” and have urged people to avoid the area while they carry out their work.

Though welcomed by chefs and campaigners, many schools say the government’s plan to remove ‘grab and go’ options from the menu is a step too far

It is lunchtime at Richard Challoner school, a Catholic comprehensive for boys in New Malden, south-west London. The familiar smell of school lunch is beginning to waft around the corridors.

In the canteen, there is a moment of calm as the kitchen team make final preparations before year 7 descend – a mass of chatting, laughing boys, with backpacks swinging and empty tummies grumbling.

Campaigners organise open letter to director demanding ‘fair day’s wage’ for all workers at V&A museums

A row over pay has broken out at the V&A before the opening of its newest site , with thousands of people calling for it to become a living wage employer.

On Saturday, V&A East will open its doors in Stratford, east London, showcasing stunning fabrics, photos and black British music. It joins a wider group of V&A museums including its original site in South Kensington, Young V&A in Bethnal Green and V&A Dundee. The V&A describes its latest opening as one of the most significant new museum projects in the UK.

Officers looking into attacks on Iran International media offices, synagogue and Jewish charity ambulances

Counter-terrorism investigators are examining three separate arson attacks in London against an Iranian dissident and Jewish targets amid fears the Iranian state may be behind them.

The latest attack happened at about 8.30pm on Wednesday, outside the offices of Iran International, a Persian-language news channel that opposes the regime in Tehran.