The UK is actively considering sanctions against two of Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right ministers, over what British officials call a “dramatic surge” in violence in the West Bank. Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir face potential travel bans and asset freezes, primarily related to attacks by extremist Jewish settlers. UK inflation rose more than expected to a 15-month high of 3.5% in April, up from 2.6% in March. The increase was driven by higher energy costs after regulators raised the household price cap, as well as tax hikes, a jump in water bills and steeper airfares. British scientists have developed a groundbreaking genetic test which cuts the time it takes to diagnose brain tumours from eight weeks to two hours. The £450 analysis can classify the type of tumour and provide an accurate prognosis on the same day a sample is obtained through surgery.

Don’t be fooled – Europe’s far right is on a roll

The victory of Bucharest’s centrist, pro-EU mayor Nicușor Dan in Sunday’s Romanian presidential election was met with jubilation in Brussels, says Le Monde. In the first round of voting the moderate had come a distant second to the Eurosceptic ultranationalist George Simion, so a victory in the all-important run-off was regarded by chancelleries across Europe as “very good news”. Emmanuel Macron praised Romanian voters for choosing “democracy, the rule of law and the European Union” over a man who called himself “Trump’s candidate”. That relief is likely to be short-lived. Simion won a chunky 46% of the vote, and his narrow defeat belies the broader trend: across Europe, “the far right is rising”.

Elections in Poland and Portugal, which also took place on Sunday, tell the same story. Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, a centre-right pro-European, narrowly won the first round of voting, but now faces an unexpectedly tough run-off against the conservative nationalist Karol Nawrocki. More importantly, Nawrocki is now being outflanked on his right by the far-right Sławomir Mentzen and the outright anti-Semite Grzegorz Braun. Adding the three right-wingers together results in a bloc of 50% of the vote, far larger than the centre-right candidate. And in Portugal – until recently one of the few European countries without a far-right movement – the anti-immigrant Chega party may yet surpass the Portuguese Socialist Party to become the official opposition. Having previously ruled out any co-operation with Chega, Portugal’s centre-right prime minister on Monday dodged the question, saying “everyone must be able to engage in dialogue”. The headline results are misleading. “This is indeed a European trend – and a wake-up call.”