Author: staff
Iran has sentenced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to more than seven additional years in prison after she began a hunger strike, supporters of hers said on Sunday. Mohammadi’s supporters cited her lawyer, who spoke to Mohammadi. The lawyer, Mostafa Nili, confirmed the sentence on X, saying it had been handed down Saturday by a Revolutionary Court in the city of Mashhad. The Nobel laureate had previously been sentenced to nearly 14-years in prison on other charges. Iranian authorities did not immediately acknowledge the more recent sentence. “She has been sentenced to six years in prison for ‘gathering and…
However, Berlin warns that that will only be possible if it doesn’t mean giving up additional power to bureaucrats intent on piling burdensome regulations on businesses, which are already struggling to compete globally. “This includes new restraint on legislative activity to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy, as well as resolute bureaucracy reduction which up-holds policy goals and relevant standards.” On the list of specific measures being put forward by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s center-right coalition government are new, simplified rules for companies offering services across different EU countries and allowing workers to move more readily around the bloc by recognizing qualifications. Targeted support…
Russian authorities on Sunday claimed that Ukrainian intelligence services were involved in the assassination attempt of General Vladimir Alekseev in Moscow on Friday. Russia’s Investigative Committee and its Federal Security Service (FSB) said in statements that they have identified and arrested in Dubai the alleged perpetrator of the assassination attempt and brought him to Moscow thanks to the help of the United Arab Emirates authorities. The Investigative Committee claimed that the suspect “arrived in Moscow in late December of last year on instructions from Ukrainian intelligence services to commit a terrorist attack,” without providing evidence to support the claim. On…
In a statement issued on Sunday afternoon, McSweeney said that the decision to appoint Mandelson was “wrong” and “ damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself.” He said he took “full responsibility” after personally advising Starmer to make the appointment. He added: “In public life responsibility must be owned when it matters most, not just when it is most convenient. In the circumstances, the only honourable course is to step aside.” McSweeney has been a key aide to Starmer throughout his time as Labour Party leader. His work behind the scenes in the late 2010s, first at…
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was on course for a thumping victory in snap elections on Sunday, a result that could however rile China and worry financial markets. Capitalising on her honeymoon start as Japan’s first woman premier, Takaichi’s ruling bloc looked to have secured a two-thirds majority in the lower house, according to media estimates. If confirmed, it would be the best result for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since elections in 2017 under Takaichi’s mentor, assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe. The LDP was seen winning about 300 of 465 seats, up from 198, and regaining a majority…
Published on 08/02/2026 – 15:36 GMT+1 The Qatar TotalEnergies Open is underway in Doha, marking the start of the WTA 1000 season and setting the pace for the year ahead in the women’s tour. With 1,000 ranking points available and nearly €3.5 million in prize money up for grabs, the tournament has attracted a strong field to the Qatari capital, with most of the world’s top 20 players in action this week. Swiatek returns to familiar ground in Doha World number two Iga Swiatek returns to a venue where she has enjoyed repeated success. The 24-year-old Polish star has already…
At least 14 people have died during, or in the immediate aftermath of, extratropical cyclones Kristin, Leonardo and Marta, which have caused severe flooding from the southern town of Alcoutim to the bustling northern city of Porto, where the Douro River’s waters overflowed into the Ribeira neighborhood. Fierce winds have knocked out the power supply to more than 100,000 homes across the country, and the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere has placed all coastal municipalities under yellow alert. Weather-related interruptions of the country’s public transport networks could complicate voters’ attempts to reach polling stations. Traffic is suspended…
By Emma De Ruiter with AFP, AP Published on 08/02/2026 – 13:51 GMT+1 A man suspected of shooting a deputy chief of Russia’s military intelligence agency in Moscow has been detained in Dubai and handed over to Russia, according to its Federal Security Service (FSB). It said Russian citizen Lyubomir Korba was detained on suspicion of carrying out the shooting, adding that it also identified two “accomplices,” one of whom was detained in Moscow and another who “left for Ukraine.” Vladimir Alekseyev was hospitalised after being shot several times on Friday by an assailant at an apartment building in northwestern Moscow, Investigative Committee…
In an interview with several French local newspapers published on Saturday, Lecornu announced that in the coming days his government will finally present the long-overdue energy programming law, a text that outlines France’s energy strategy until 2035 and which is coming more than two years late. Lecornu said that the text would be adopted as a government decree by the end of the week. It will confirm the construction of six new nuclear reactors, with the option of building eight more, and set the goal of having 60 percent of energy consumption coming from electricity by 2030. The prime minister…
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday condemned anti-Olympics protesters and the unknown perpetrators of railway sabotage that caused train delays, particularly on the line between Bologna and Venice. “Then you have them, the enemies of Italy and Italians, who demonstrate ‘against the Olympics,’ causing these images to be broadcast on television around the world. After others cut the railway cables to prevent trains from leaving,” Meloni wrote in a social media post that included FoxNews footage showing firecrackers and smoke bombs during anti-Olympics protests in Milan on Saturday. Hours after the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics were officially launched, suspected attacks…