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In 2020 Iranian authorities sentenced Adelkhah to five years in jail on national security charges, which she deniedIranian-French academic Fariba Adelkhah was released from Iran’s Evin prison, France said, but it was unclear what the conditions of her release were.Adelkhah has been in prison since Iranian authorities arrested her in 2019 during a visit. She is one of seven French nationals detained in Iran, a factor that has worsened relations between Paris and Tehran in recent months. Continue reading...

Remains of Australian man and Australian woman identified by family members in Turkey, according to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Policy Exchange paper envisages sidestepping Human Rights and Modern Slavery Acts to eliminate legal challengesChildren fleeing conflict and persecution in other parts of the world should still be deported from the UK if they cross the Channel in small boats, according to hardline new proposals from an influential conservative thinktank.The paper from Policy Exchange – sometimes used as a platform by senior Tory ministers to trail new measures – envisages the sidestepping of the Human Rights Act and Modern Slavery Act in order to eliminate legal challenges to removing men, women and children. Continue reading...

Three people arrested as eyewitnesses say police van set on fire and counter-protesters surroundedDisturbances have broken out in Knowsley near Liverpool after several hundred far-right demonstrators protested against asylum seekers who have been housed in a local hotel by the Home Office.Merseyside police said three people had been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder. Continue reading...

Hundreds of thousands more people have been left homeless in often sub-zero winter conditions

South American country has seen rise since Ukraine invasion in Russian women arriving to have children and thus gain citizenshipImmigration authorities in Argentina are cracking down on Russian women who since the invasion of Ukraine have started travelling to Buenos Aires to give birth in order to gain Argentinian citizenship for their children.The director of Argentina’s immigration office, Florencia Carignano, said on Friday that a judicial investigation has been launched into what she described as a lucrative business that promises Argentinian passports for the Russian parents. Continue reading...

Paul Ansell says family going through ‘unprecedented hell’ as search widens for missing womanThe partner of missing Nicola Bulley says he is “100% convinced” she is not in the River Wyre.Bulley has been missing for 14 days and a specialist underwater team searching the river suspended the operation on Wednesday after no body was found. A search of the surrounding countryside carried out by Lancashire constabulary also found no trace of her. Continue reading...

German sportswear company cut ties with rapper in 2022 over his antisemitic commentsAdidas has warned that it could take a revenue hit of €1.2bn (£1bn) and slump to a loss this year if it decides not to sell its remaining stock of products made in collaboration with Kanye West, after it cut ties with the rapper over his antisemitic comments.The German sportswear giant said its decision last year to end the partnership to produce the Yeezy range with West, now known as Ye, will hit operating profits by €500m in 2023. Continue reading...

Deputy prime minister says he sought high standards, as complaints of dozens of officials are investigatedDominic Raab has said he “behaved professionally at all times” as a minister, despite facing criticism of his behaviour from dozens of officials.In a rare interview, the deputy prime minister told the Telegraph he wanted to set high standards in office, and added that he believed in “zero bullying”. Continue reading...

The inquiry to be headed by Walter Sofronoff will hold as many hearings in public as possible

Government data shows Home Office use of hotels has risen tenfold since March 2020 despite pledges to end practiceHome Office use of hotels for asylum seekers in the UK has increased tenfold since the start of the pandemic, despite repeated pledges from the government to end use of this accommodation.According to the government’s own data there was a jump in contingency accommodation, which is largely hotels, from 2,577 people in March 2020 to 37,142 in September 2022. Continue reading...

Research finds that Black students must contend with challenges including high costs and racial discriminationBlack students have lower six-year completion rates for any kind of degree or certificate program than students in any other racial or ethnic group, a new study has found.According to the study by Gallup and Lumina Foundation, which was released on Thursday, Black students must contend with various challenges to completing post-secondary programs including high costs and racial discrimination. Continue reading...

Many corporate subscribers to major parties’ business forums are not required to declare payments, though some choose to

The main worry is workers might demand more pay, employers will pass that on to prices, and a wage-price spiral will take off

Indigenous groups say decision to nominate Murujuga cultural area is ‘deeply hypocritical’ because of government support for industrial projects in the area

The campaign will be a crucial early test for the opposition and leader Peter Dutton

Insaf Ali smuggled songbirds in hair curlers from Guyana to New York when JFK airport authorities discovered the ruseA man who repeatedly admitted scheming to smuggle finches from Guyana into New York for birdsong competitions was sentenced on Thursday to a year and a day in prison.It was Insaf Ali’s second time being sentenced in a Brooklyn federal court for a crime related to bird trafficking, and he vowed it would be his last. Continue reading...

Announcement comes after global company posted 47% decline in quarterly earnings in news media

Fast food chain reportedly experimented with mushrooms and chickpeas before settling on breaded cauliflowerChick-fil-A is jumping on the plant-based bandwagon.The Atlanta-based chain said on Thursday that it’s testing its first plant-based entree – a breaded cauliflower sandwich – at restaurants in Denver; Charleston, South Carolina; and the Greensboro, North Carolina, area. The test begins 13 February. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Queensland Police Service ‘exploring its legal options’ after several children granted bail

New Zealand city council says ‘you would be seriously injured or killed’ by lamps weighing up to 15kg, like a microwave or bulk sack of riceNew Zealand’s capital is being plagued by potentially deadly street lights that have begun dropping without warning and smashing on the footpath below.Wellington city council spokesperson Richard MacLean said the council was aware of the problem. The lamp heads weighed up to 15kg (33lb), he said – about equivalent to a bulk sack of rice, full-grown border collie or a microwave oven. They were falling from heights of 4-6m. Continue reading...

Damning report by MPs urges government to ensure safe passage for interpreters and contractors at risk from TalibanSeveral thousand Afghans who helped British forces before the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 remain stranded and at risk from the Taliban because of failures of the government’s settlement schemes, according to a damning report by MPs.The defence select committee’s report urged the government to set out what action it is taking to ensure safe passage to the UK for at least 4,600 Afghans, including interpreters and contractors, who worked for UK forces.A lack of preparedness for the number of potential applicants resulting in under-resourcing, backlogs in applications, and errors in decision making.Poor communications with applicants causing stress to them and increasing correspondence to MPs and others.Unclear and frequently changing eligibility criteria. Continue reading...

The communist party’s propaganda machine pulled out all the stops to ensure the public opinion was in accordance with party narrativeAmid the diplomatic spat over the high-altitude balloon that flew across North America before being shot down by the US air force, China is taking the opportunity to drum up nationalistic fervour among its citizens – and the tactic appears to be working well.The balloon incident has burst the facade of a three-month, uneasy peace between China and the US since the summit between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in November. Continue reading...

Labour candidate Ashley Dalton odds-on favourite to hold seat after resignation of Rosie CooperPolls have closed in the West Lancashire byelection, with Labour confident of retaining the seat it has held since 1992.The bookies have the party at 1/25 to keep hold of the seat where it had a majority of 8,336 in the last election. A result is expected between 2am and 4am. Continue reading...

Reduced ad spends due to rising inflation and higher interest rates have battered Rupert Murdoch’s media conglomerateMedia conglomerate News Corp said on Thursday that it would cut 1,250 jobs after it missed estimates for second-quarter earnings due to weakness in its news and digital real estate businesses.Rising inflation and higher interest rates are forcing companies to curb their ad and marketing spend, denting one of the major sources of revenue for companies such as News Corp, which has major publishing platforms including the Wall Street Journal and New York Post in the US, The Sun and The Times in the UK, and The Australian. Continue reading...

Weather system off the Queensland coast predicted to intensify to category three, with winds of up to 224km/h

Footage showed girl being punched, kicked and having her hair pulled on MondayMPs have called for an investigation into a school after a black pupil was the victim of a serious suspected racist assault.Janet Daby, who represents Lewisham East, said that Thomas Knyvett College in Ashford, Surrey, should be investigated after footage showed a girl being punched, kicked and having her hair pulled on Monday. Continue reading...

Collette Bell says she thought ‘you don’t care’ when told of partner’s death by Ch Supt Garry McEwanA chief superintendent shrugged his shoulders when confronted over whether Sheku Bayoh had been killed by police officers, the inquiry into his death in custody has been told.Bayoh’s partner, Collette Bell, alleged that Ch Supt Garry McEwan, who has now retired, told her that the father of her baby had died during a “forceful arrest” using sprays and batons, and that she responded furiously: “So you battered him to death?” Continue reading...

Daughter of former foreign minister Francisco Aguirre-Sacasa says he is among detainees released, adding: ‘Everybody is on the plane’More than 200 prisoners jailed by Nicaragua’s authoritarian regime during a ferocious two-year political crackdown have been freed and flown to the United States.“This is huge,” Georgiana Aguirre-Sacasa, the daughter of one of the prisoners – the elderly former foreign minister Francisco Aguirre-Sacasa – said on Thursday morning as she digested the news of her father’s release. Continue reading...

Government evaluation of the legislation is the first official review of the policies that led to the Windrush scandalThe Home Office’s hostile environment policies appear to have had a disproportionately negative impact on people of colour, a government evaluation of the legislation has shown.The long-awaited impact assessment of the package of hostile environment measures which were introduced when David Cameron was prime minister, and later rebranded as “compliant environment” policies, reveals for the first time the government’s own assessment of the legislation’s potential risks. Continue reading...

Nurse accused of killing prematurely born infant at fourth attempt during trial for murdering seven babiesA baby girl was killed after a nurse injected air into her stomach three times and ultimately into her bloodstream over a period of three weeks, a court has heard.Lucy Letby, 33, is accused of murdering the prematurely born infant at the fourth attempt during a nightshift at the Countess of Chester hospital’s neonatal unit. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Children as young as three in emergency departments for mental health problems, data obtained by Labour revealsChildren suffering mental health crises spent more than 900,000 hours in A&E in England last year seeking urgent and potentially life-saving help, NHS figures reveal.Experts said the huge amount of time under-18s with mental health issues were spending in A&E was “simply astounding” and showed that NHS services for that vulnerable age group were inadequate. Continue reading...

Previous inclusive policy on initial assignments reversed after furore over rapist sent to female prisonAll transgender offenders entering the Scottish prison system will first be sent to jails that match their birth gender, in a reversal of the Scottish Prison Service’s (SPS) previous inclusive policy.The announcement came in an urgent review into the handling of the case of Isla Bryson, a transgender double rapist who was initially sent to a female prison, resulting in a public outcry. Continue reading...

Ipso received more than 25,000 complaints about piece in which presenter said he ‘hated’ duchessThe UK’s press watchdog is to investigate Jeremy Clarkson’s column in the Sun about the Duchess of Sussex after it received more than 25,100 complaints.The Duke and Duchess last month accused the presenter of writing articles “that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny” after he wrote that he “hated” Meghan and had dreamed of her being paraded naked through British towns and publicly shamed. Continue reading...

Some MPs accuse former prime minister of damaging the party with her comeback weeks before budgetConservative infighting before next month’s budget has intensified as allies of Liz Truss repeated their calls for sweeping tax cuts but other MPs accused the former prime minister of damaging the party with her comeback.With just weeks until Jeremy Hunt announces his first budget, Tory MPs argued in public about how to rescue the party’s reputation with voters, as an MRP (multilevel regression and post-stratification) poll showed the Conservatives could be heading for near-wipeout at the next election. Continue reading...

Passing of motion at General Synod represents profound shift in church’s stance on homosexualityChurch of England priests will be permitted to bless the civil marriages of same-sex couples in a profound shift in the church’s stance on homosexuality after a historic vote by its governing body.The first blessings for gay couples could happen this summer. Individual churches will be encouraged to state clearly whether they will offer blessings to avoid confusion and disappointment. Continue reading...

Comments from Downing Street come as Zelenskiy follows up trip to UK with Brussels visit in the hope of receiving more military aid

Faisal Abdullah thanks Michael Gove for announcing ‘Awaab’s law’, after death of two-year-old in RochdaleThe father of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who was killed by mould in a social housing flat, has welcomed a new law to prevent a repeat tragedy, saying: “We are finally starting to feel like we are being treated fairly.”Faisal Abdullah met Michael Gove, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, on Thursday as the government announced a new “Awaab’s law” that will set deadlines for landlords in England and Wales to tackle reported hazards. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereRishi Sunak has recorded a TV interview this morning, and he has had to explain that, unlike his party’s new deputy chairman, he is not in favour of the death penalty. The full clip has not been shown yet, but PA Media has the quotes.As he confirmed that he disagreed with Lee Anderson on the death penalty, he also claimed his party was “united” in wanting to tackle crime. Asked if he agreed with Anderson, he replied:That’s not my view, that’s not the government’s view.But we are united in the Conservative party in wanting to be absolutely relentless in bearing down on crime and making sure people are safe and feel safe.It’s why we’re on our way to having 20,000 more police officers on our streets and we’re giving those police officers more powers to tackle crime, whether it’s stop and search or just this week in parliament we are giving police officers the power to tackle violent and extremist protesters.That’s because we want to make sure people are safe, they feel safe and that’s what we’re doing. Continue reading...

Renewable project on edge of Bristol has overcome planning hurdles and will empower local housing estateA muddy, forgotten patch of land, sandwiched between a gas power station and a car breakage plant, will be home to England’s tallest wind turbine by the end of next week.The turbine, which will stand 150 meters tall from its base to the tip of its blade, is owned by a group of residents from nearby Lawrence Weston, a deprived housing estate on the fringes of Bristol, and some of the income it generates will be used to help the local community. Continue reading...

Singer and performer, who wrote Walk on By and What the World Needs Now Is Love, died at home in Los Angeles of natural causes

Mattia Muggittu says he feels like David v Goliath as energy drink firm disputes branding on his first bottlesA small wine producer in Sardinia accused by the maker of the energy drink Red Bull of copying its logo has said he feels as if he is in a David and Goliath battle against the Austrian company.Mattia Muggittu, the owner of Muggittu di Mamoiada, had just produced his first bottle of wine, which features two traditional Sardinian oxen tied together on its label, when he received a legal notice from Red Bull claiming the image bore similarities to the one on its energy drink depicting two bulls charging at each other inside a golden sun. Continue reading...

Extra powers granted to allow removal of people taking photos and video at scene of 45-year-old’s disappearancePolice have been granted extra powers to remove social media influencers from the scene where Nicola Bulley went missing in Lancashire.A dispersal order was put in place on Wednesday night meaning anyone taking photos and video for social media following the 45-year-old’s disappearance 13 days ago, can be sent away. Continue reading...

Move by NI secretary means Stormont could continue to be in abeyance until April 2024Elections for the Northern Ireland assembly are to be delayed again, with a new deadline of 18 January next year for the Democratic Unionist party to return to power-sharing, the government has announced.The decision to delay the formation of an executive means Stormont could legally be in abeyance until 11 April 2024, 12 weeks after the government will be obliged to call an election under the proposed law. Continue reading...

Lee Anderson, who was given role on Tuesday, also called for a naval ‘standoff’ in the Channel over small boats

Serhiy Haidai says Moscow’s forces are trying unsuccessfully to advance westwards in ‘maximum’ escalation

Minister urged to ‘come clean on why she didn’t declare political interest’ in Joanne Cash’s EHRC appointmentThe business secretary, Kemi Badenoch, has appointed an equalities commissioner who had previously donated to her leadership campaign, the Guardian can reveal.Joanne Cash, a former Tory candidate, was made a commissioner to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) board in January. Badenoch announced the appointment, in her capacity as equalities minister, saying Cash had “a track record of promoting women’s rights and freedom of expression”. Continue reading...

Almost 3,000 people remain behind bars in England and Wales under ‘imprisonment for public protection’ scheme abolished in 2012The UK government has rejected a call for prisoners detained indefinitely to be resentenced, in a move criticised as a “missed opportunity to right a wrong” by the chair of the justice committee.A report by the cross-party justice committee, published last year, said people stuck in prison under the now abolished imprisonment for public protection (IPP) scheme should be resentenced. Continue reading...

Australian union leader says the absence of labour market expertise on the RBA board had caused ‘missteps’