London’s phone theft epidemic shows no signs of abating, but as marauding gangs continue to prowl the city on a daily basis, some hardy locals have become too smart for the criminals. Circling around London’s exclusive areas in the saddle of a moped or, more commonly, silent and illegally modified e-bikes, these ruthless phone snatchers will stop at nothing. Speeding around corners and catching locals and tourists off guard, they pounce within seconds, leaving unwitting victims with zero time to react before they realise what has happened.

A GAZA-based terror group has published footage of Israeli hostage Sasha Trufanov in a disturbing “proof of life“ propaganda move. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad shared the sick video of Sasha – torturing his distraught mum who said she is “very worried“ for his safety. After more than a year in captivity in Gaza, the young Israeli said he has endured a shortage of food, water, electricity and hygiene products.

Donald Trump sent shockwaves through the Republican party on Wednesday night with his announcement that he’ll nominate Matt Gaetz as his Attorney General in a bold test of his unchecked power. GOP Senators were stunned by the news the MAGA firebrand Florida Congressman was picked for one of the most senior roles in Trump’s second administration in a sign they could try and block his confirmation. Gaetz, 42, is under the subject of an ethics investigation over claims of 𝑠e𝑥ual misconduct, bribery and drug use – which he denies – and was also the focus of unsubstantiated 𝑠e𝑥 trafficking claims involving a 17-year-old girl.

UKRAINE has denied reports it could be months away from developing a nuclear bomb. It was claimed Kyiv could build a basic device that would have just one-tenth of the power of the “Fat Man“ – the bomb dropped by the US on Nagasaki in 1945. The claim was first made in a paper published by the Centre for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies – a Ukrainian military think tank, reports The Times.

The Church was in turmoil last night after the Archbishop of Canterbury resigned in ‘shame’. Justin Welby had to step down over his handling of the Church of England’s worst child abuse scandal. He is the first Archbishop of Canterbury to be forced out of the role after failures meant an abuser was never brought to justice.

Rep. Matt Gaetz stepped down from his position in the U.S. House of Representatives just hours after Donald Trump picked him as Attorney General. The dramatic move by Gaetz came as Punchbowl News revealed the impending release of a ‘highly damaging’ report concerning 𝑠e𝑥 trafficking and drug use allegations against the Florida rep. Now that Gaetz is no longer a member of Congress, the House Ethics Committee loses jurisdiction over him, although the report may still be released.

THE British woman facing 60 years in jail in America for allegedly trafficking £15m of cocaine in her holiday suitcases protested her innocence today as she appeared in court. Kim Hall, 28, is accused of possessing 43kg of the Class A drug as she made her way home from a week-long break in Mexico. A judge told her that the investigation was ongoing as he adjourned the case.

Pauline Hanson has hit back at a male critic who told her to ‘toughen up’ – as she surpasses $500,000 in donations for a legal appeal over her ‘p*** off back to Pakistan’ comment. Earlier this month the One Nation leader lost a defamation case brought by Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi. A judge found she had racially vilified Ms Faruqi when she told her to ‘p*** off back to Pakistan’ in a tweet.

President-elect Donald Trump named controversial Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz as his nominee for Attorney General in a move that is bound to outrage Democrats and even shock many Republicans in Washington. Gaetz is a MAGA firebrand who has taken aim at both GOP House members and Democrats alike as he has remained a close ally of Trump. While Trump appears to be valuing staunch loyalty as a prerequisite for his choices to key posts over standard qualifications, the choice of Gaetz as the top law enforcement official in the land left many scratching their heads – if not scraping their jaws off the floor.