Israel has carried out a series of air strikes on Iran, targeting military facilities, nuclear sites and residential areas of the capital, Tehran, and killing at least two senior military commanders and top nuclear scientists.
The strikes early on Friday come amid simmering tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme and appeared certain to trigger a reprisal. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned that “severe punishment” would be directed at Israel. Hours later, Israel’s military said it had begun intercepting Iranian drones launched in retaliation.
US President Donald Trump says he was aware of recent attacks on Iran but insists the United States were not involved militarily. He warned that the US will respond if Iran targets Israel. Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher has this update.
A shopper told fashion fans to run to TK Maxx after spotting the ‘cute’ bag that resembles a designer version
TK Maxx shoppers love the ‘cute’ style (stock photo)(Image: Getty)
TK Maxx is stocking a leather bag that resembles a pricier version. The discount retailer has long been popular with shoppers searching for deals, and fashion lovers were amazed by one shopper’s recent find. Posting on TikTok as @siikha00, London-based blogger Sikha showcased a “gorgeous” £54.99 bag that she’d spotted in-store.
As seen in the video, the shopper found a genuine leather Silviano tote bag that was heavily discounted. According to the product tag, the bag’s RRP is usually £255, and Sikha thought it resembled another bag with a higher price tag.
She told followers: “Don’t walk, run to TK Maxx because I found this bag that kind of looks like the Dragon Diffusion bag that I’ve been wanting for the longest time.” She also included a picture of the Rosanna Woven Shoulder Bag, showing viewers her dream style.
Sikha continued: “It’s really cute. The material is a bit different of course because it is a different thing. It also has a zip, there’s a few pockets inside, which is very helpful.” Her caption added: “Defo get this if you’re on a budget and want to buy for similar vibes but not the same type.”
While the two bags differ in shape, they share a similar woven brown design. There’s also a price difference, as the Rosanna Woven Shoulder Bag currently retails for £315 at Fenwick.
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Although it is not specified in the video, it looks like Sikha found the Silviano Mayfair – Signature Handwoven Leather Shopper Tote, which is listed at full price on the brand’s website.
The product description for the Silviano bag says: “Timeless and functional, the Mayfair is a tote built for the modern woman who appreciates heritage detail and effortless style. Whether for work, travel, or day-to-night dressing — this bag elevates any look.”
While Fenwick’s does not offer a detailed description of the Rosanna Woven Shoulder Bag, it does specify that the bag is leather. The brand description adds: “Inspired by traditional basket weaving cultures, let Dragon Diffusion elevate your accessories edit with a collection of carefully braided leather bags. Expertly hand-crafted, each and every design has been borne from insatiable curiosity.”
Mayfair – Signature Handwoven Leather Shopper Tote from Silviano(Image: Silviano)
Shoppers loved the look of the Silviano bag. Replying to the TikTok video, someone praised: “Omggg so cute.” A similar comment read: “Omg this is gorgeous!!” A third fan replied: “So fab.” Another response read: “Love it!!!” A different commenter added: “Fav shop for bags.”
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the bag is available on TK Maxx’s website. Shoppers can check their nearest store here. However, TK Maxx’s website does offer a selection of Silviano bags, including a Deep Blue Leather Weave Tote Bag for £69.99 with a RRP of £350 and a Black Weave Shopper Bag for £49.99 with a RRP of £235.
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There’s also a Black Weave Shopper Bag for £69.99 with a RRP of £350. While the bags differ in style, they could be just as impressive to shoppers looking for a luxury bag for less.
Get all the hottest shopping deals, cash saving tips and money news straight to your phone by joining our new WhatsApp Community – The Money Saving Club. Just click this link to join.
Prosecutors have laid bare their evidence against two men told yesterday they would be put on trial over tragic musician Liam Payne’s Buenos Aires hotel death.
Waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz and former hotel worker Ezequiel David Pereyra have been languishing in prison since the start of January after being charged with selling the former One Direction singer the cocaine he snorted and smoked before his fatal third-storey drug-fuelled balcony plunge.
Argentinian public prosecutors were known to have obtained incriminating phone messages and hotel CCTV footage which included images of Liam standing by the open door of a lift at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel and chatting with a man identified as Pereyra shortly before the singer died on October 16 last year.
During the brief encounter the 31-year-old Brit is said to have asked him for “seven grams of the same drug he had handed him earlier.”
Overnight prosecutors went public with more details of their dossiers, revealing they had “incriminating” witness statements from FIVE hotel employees against 24-year-old Pereyra, who like Paiz has been warned he faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, and CCTV footage showing him handing Payne cocaine outside the artist’s room around an hour and ten minutes before he died.
Liam’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy said he was in a ‘good headspace’ when she left him alone in Argentina
Pereyra has been accused of selling Liam cocaine twice, the second time “between 3.30 and 4pm on October 16.” Argentina’s public prosecution service said in a statement referencing Pereyra: “One of the witnesses that compromised him the most was the hotel’s head of general maintenance.
“He testified that around 9pm on 14 October he met Pereyra in a lift, saw that he had a $100 note in his hand and when he asked him if it was a tip and who had given it to him, said Pereyra replied that he had to ‘run an errand for a guest’ which he later explained was ‘to bring drugs’.
Liam’s former girlfriend Cheryl, who is mum to their only son Bear, pictured at his funeral ( Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
“At 2:30 a.m. on 15 October, Payne asked the hotel receptionist for a taxi to an address – Pereyra’s home at 2800 Homero Street in the Lomas de Zamora district of Buenos Aires – because ‘someone had to bring him something’. “Prosecutors determined, from the statement of the driver of the Cabify app car that made the trip, and from the images of the security cameras outside the hotel, that Pereyra arrived at the door of the hotel at 3.25am, met Liam Payne in the street outside and walked with towards the corner of Costa Rica and Dorrego Avenue, where a camera captured the accused man with ‘some kind of wrapper in one of his hands.’”
Lead prosecutor Andres Madrea revealed a computer technician who works for the CasaSur Hotel has also incriminated Pereyra. He said: “The employee, who speaks English, shared a lift with Payne the afternoon of his death. He has testified that when they reached a hotel basement Liam began to talk while still inside the lift with Pereyra, who was arranging some chairs outside the lift, and he heard the musician say: ‘Hey man I will need another seven grams more for today.’”
Liam’s parents Geoff and Karen Payne have been left heartbroken by the tragedy ( Express & Star / SWNS)
Public prosecutors added in their statement: “Mr Madrea detailed in his trial request that the drug transaction took place around 3.45pm on October 16, in a third-floor corridor where cameras captured Pereyra’s arrival in the lift and the exchange.”
They said the indictment against Paiz, also accused of selling Liam Payne cocaine on two separate occasions in the run-up to his death, was based partly on messages the two men had exchanged discovered on the singer’s phone after he plunged to his death.
Prosecutors revealed more detail about the conversations between the pair, who met at a restaurant the musician dined at in the upmarket Buenos Aires neighbourhood where Paiz was working as a waiter. They said: “Lead prosecutor Andres Madrea reproduced in his trial request an exchange of messages in the early hours of October 14, where the singer asks the accused for five or five grams and the waiter replies an hour later that he had obtained three grams with the phrase in English: ‘I think I got to three.
“Paiz then sent the musician several photographs related to narcotics, including one of a transparent plastic bag with a white powder, after which they agreed that the waiter would go to the CasaSur Hotel where the accused arrived at 3:24am according to the security camera records.
“This shows that the accused Paiz, at Payne’s request, went to the hotel in question, stayed in his room, where he gave cocaine to Payne, until he left at around 8:15 am.”
They went on to detail the second “drug deal” later the same day when Liam Payne took a taxi to Paiz’s flat to pick up cocaine – and reference another subsequent message exchange about a third “possible deal” which they said ended with the singer writing: “I have DOLLARS US 100. Party.”
Three other men initially charged over Liam’s death were told in February the case against them had been dropped.
Liam’s close friend Rogelio Nores, hotel receptionist Esteban Grassi and hotel head of security Gilda Martin were accused of his manslaughter by a female lower court judge before reversing her decision on appeal. No date has yet been set for the Paiz and Pereyra trial although it is expected to kick off shortly.
Paiz, who has previously protested his innocence, spoke again from prison this week to repeat an earlier claim that he had shared drugs with the artist but hadn’t committed the serious offence of selling him narcotics. The 25-year-old whined in an interview with Argentinian media outlet Infobae from his jail cell at a Buenos Aires police station: “I don’t know what I’m doing here, I’m a good person. “I shared drugs with Liam but I didn’t sell them.”
Describing himself as a drug user who started smoking marihuana as a youngster, he added: “All I want to do is start studying again and leave jail to work, like I was doing before. “I regret now giving Liam my Instagram because it all spiralled from there.
“If I hadn’t I’d probably be working today, I’d be studying, I’d be doing videos because before meeting Liam I’d participated in the filming of a video-clip for YouTube for a singer and other videos for TV. “I miss the freedom I had, I miss work, I miss my family, my mum and my sisters.”
Pereyra handed himself in on January 6 after making himself a fugitive the previous week following failed police attempts to locate and arrest him so he could be remanded in pre-trial custody on the orders of an investigating judge. He has yet to make any public comment.
Scottie Scheffler has kept coming back to the same answer when asked in different ways about how a day that began with optimism at the United States Open turned into a five-and-a-half-hour slog that left him well off the front page of the leaderboard.
“I’ve probably got to give myself a few more looks,” the world’s top-ranked player said Thursday after a 3-over 73 left him seven shots behind frontrunner JJ Spaun.
Scheffler was talking about looks for reasonable birdie putts. Those didn’t happen nearly enough during those often arduous hours at the Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. As for plain old “looks”, however, well, the three-time major winner had those in abundance.
Looks of frustration, like when his drive on the par-5 12th landed in the middle of a fairway that slopes massively from left to right and kept rolling, and rolling, and rolling until it was in the first cut of the course’s signature ankle-deep rough.
Looks of bafflement, like when his 1.8-metre (6ft) par putt at the par-3 13th slid by, causing him to put his hand over his mouth and turn to caddie Ted Scott as if to say, “What just happened?”
Looks of anger, like when his wedge from 76 metres (83 yards) on the easy (by Oakmont standards) par-4 14th landed 12 metres (40ft) past the hole. Scheffler slammed the club into the ground before collecting himself to two-putt.
Looks of annoyance, when his 3.7-metre (12ft) birdie attempt at the par-4 17th lipped out. Scheffler bent over, pressed his hands on his knees and appeared to sigh before standing back up.
That doesn’t even include what he described as “sloppy” bogeys on the par-4 third and par-5 fourth when he found the sand off the tee.
Caddie Ted Scott, left, hands a ball to Scottie Scheffler on the first green during the first round of the US Open [Gene J Puskar/AP]
It added up to tying his worst opening round in a major ever. He did that at the 2021 Masters, a year before he began a run of dominance not seen since Tiger Woods’s prime two decades ago. Heck, he even managed a 1-under 69 at Oakmont as a 19-year-old amateur in 2016.
Nine years later, Scheffler’s life is very different. When he walked out of the scoring area in the late spring twilight, his toddler son, Bennett, and wife, Meredith, and other members of his family were waiting.
The course, however, remains the same physically and mentally draining task it has always been.
There’s a reason Scheffler teed off at 1:25pm and didn’t tap in for par on 18 until 6:52pm even though there wasn’t a hint of rain or wind or any other external factors to gum up the works. There was only Oakmont being Oakmont.
The fairways that Spaun navigated to a 4-under 66 in the morning dried up throughout the kind of muggy, sun-baked day that’s been uncommon during Western Pennsylvania’s cool, wet spring.
Scheffler made only two putts over 3 metres (10ft), none over the final seven holes and three-putted the par-3 13th. How? He has no idea. Yet he also knows one middling round doesn’t necessarily ruin his chances of winning the third leg of the grand slam.
Play a little “sharper” in the second round, and he thinks he might be in a better position come the weekend.
“When you’re playing these types of tests that are this challenging, there’s usually still a way to score,” he said.
He might find them sooner rather than later. In each of Scheffler’s 16 PGA Tour victories, he found himself inside the top 30 after 18 holes. He’ll be outside that number when he puts his tee in the ground at No 10 on Friday morning to start his second round.
“I’ll clean up some of those mistakes, a couple three putts and stuff like that,” he said on Thursday. “And I think tomorrow will be a better day.”
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland prepares to hit from the tall grass on the fourth hole during the first round of the US Open [Seth Wenig/AP]
Rory McIlroy, still looking to regain the form that helped him complete a career Grand Slam at the Masters in April, started on the back nine and made two early birdies to reach the turn just two shots back of Spaun before a wayward second nine.
World number two McIlroy made four bogeys over a seven-hole stretch out of the turn, followed by a double bogey at the par-3 eighth, where he left his tee shot in the thick rough and failed to get out on his first attempt. He signed for a 74.
Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field and looking to become the first repeat US Open winner since Brooks Koepka in 2018, spent too much time in Oakmont’s penal rough and opened with a 73.
Tottenham Hotspur have named Thomas Frank as their fifth permanent manager in six years with the Premier League club confirming they had hired the former Brentford boss on a three-year contract.
He replaces the sacked Ange Postecoglou.
The 51-year-old Dane, who has been in charge of Brentford since 2018 and established them in the top flight, will take charge of a club that will take part in next year’s Champions League after they won the Europa League last month in Bilbao.
“In Thomas we are appointing one of the most progressive and innovative head coaches within the game,” a club statement said on Thursday.
“He has a proven track record in player and squad development and we look forward to him leading the team as we prepare for the season ahead.”
Australian Postecoglou’s achievement in delivering Spurs’ first trophy for 17 years was overshadowed by a woeful Premier League season, which saw them finish 17th with 22 defeats, their worst campaign since the club were relegated in 1977.
Frank began his coaching career with Denmark’s under-age sides before taking charge at Brondby in 2013, leaving in March 2016, and in December that year joined Brentford as assistant to Dean Smith in the Championship (second tier).
In October 2018 after the dismissal of Smith, Frank was appointed Bees manager.
“From the moment he replaced Dean Smith, he understood what we were trying to build, and his wisdom, coaching ability and emotional intelligence have helped transform the club,” Brentford Director of Football Phil Giles said.
“We will never forget Thomas, but now it is time to thank him and take the next steps in our journey with a new leader who we believe can be just as successful and influential.”
Thomas Frank will seek to build on Tottenham’s achievement of winning their first trophy in 17 years [Dylan Martinez/Reuters]
Frank has been impressive during his time at Brentford, creating a high-scoring side who have punched above their weight since reaching the Premier League in 2021 via the playoffs.
In their four Premier League seasons under Frank, Brentford have finished 13th, ninth, 16th and 10th, and last term, only four teams scored more than their 66 goals.
An eager user of player data, Frank and his backroom staff have proved especially adept at unearthing gems and selling those players on for huge profits, such as forwards Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney and Said Benrahma plus goalkeeper David Raya
Despite the outgoings, Brentford have managed to remain competitive in the top flight under Frank and last season were in the mix for European qualification.
Forwards Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa scored 39 Premier League goals between them last season, and both could well be Tottenham targets during the close season.
Frank has gained a reputation for his attention to detail, and it is no surprise that his Brentford side scored inside 40 seconds in three successive league games last season.
“We have a kickoff strategy, and we tweak it from game to game. And as a mindset and philosophy, we like to get straight on the front foot and be positive,” Frank said at the time.
He now faces a completely different challenge at Tottenham, and a fast start to his reign will be important to win over fans, who felt Postecoglou should have been rewarded for winning a trophy by being given another season at the helm.
