Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi given new prison sentence

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Charges against him are unclear after return to Iran despite being sentenced last year for ‘propaganda activities’

An Iranian court has handed the award-winning film director Jafar Panahi a new prison sentence of five years and one month and ordered the seizure of all his assets.

The 66-year-old, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes last year for It Was Just an Accident, was sentenced in absentia, his lawyer, Mostafa Nili, told the Iranian news outlet Emtedad. The court also imposed a two-year travel ban and barred him from using social media for two years, Nili said.

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Chris Mason: Budget felt cautious despite its range of small measures – BBC

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  1. Chris Mason: Budget felt cautious despite its range of small measures  BBC
  2. Britain’s defensive budget did little to tackle deeper problems  The Economist
  3. UK government accused of ‘stealth’ £1.5bn rise in business rates  Financial Times
  4. Healey Defends Scale of UK Budget And Warns Hard Decisions Ahead  Bloomberg
  5. Key measures in UK finance minister Healey's first budget  Reuters
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Houthis strike Yemen’s Aden airport after evacuation warning – Reuters

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  1. Houthis strike Yemen's Aden airport after evacuation warning  Reuters
  2. Iran war updates: Houthis attack Aden, missile debris falls on Mecca  Al Jazeera
  3. Yemen accuses Houthis of firing missiles at camp for displaced people near Aden  Vatican News
  4. Iran-backed Houthis call for immediate evacuation of Yemen’s Aden airport  The Times of Israel
  5. New explosions heard near Yemen's Aden airport  Breakingthenews.net
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Wannabe travel influencer, 24, dead after truck swept into river on dream vacation – New York Post

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  1. Wannabe travel influencer, 24, dead after truck swept into river on dream vacation  New York Post
  2. Travel Influencer Emma Marie Laurent, 24, Dies After Van Is Swept Away by Rushing River  People.com
  3. Travel influencer, 24, dead after truck swept into river on dream vacation  AOL.com
  4. Travel influencer Emma Marie Laurent dies during dream vacation  The Express Tribune
  5. Travel influencer, 24, drowns after truck she was riding in swept away by swollen river on ‘dream holiday’  The Sun
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Is Iran moving toward war or peace after Mecca alliance meeting in Tehran? – DW.com

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  1. Is Iran moving toward war or peace after Mecca alliance meeting in Tehran?  DW.com
  2. Saudi defence pact countries push for peace in Tehran as Houthis launch more attacks  Reuters
  3. Flurry of Diplomacy in Iran Amid Reports of U.S. and Israeli Plans to Renew War  The New York Times
  4. Inside story: Will rare gathering in Tehran help avert Iran-US war?  Amwaj.media
  5. Iran hosts Saudi Arabia and regional powers as fears grow of return to war  CNN
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Drones strike a container ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast and its crew members are rescued – AP News

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  1. Drones strike a container ship off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast and its crew members are rescued  AP News
  2. Greek container ship sinks after drone attack off Bulgaria  Reuters
  3. NATO’s Black Sea nations decry Ukraine war spillover endangering commercial ship traffic  Defense News
  4. ZIM-operated ship sinks in Black Sea after drone strike  Globes - Israel Business News
  5. Containership Struck Off Bulgaria as Ministers Meet to Increase Security  The Maritime Executive
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Ethiopia says it received Russian Su-35 jets, S-400 air defence systems to follow – Reuters

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  1. Ethiopia says it received Russian Su-35 jets, S-400 air defence systems to follow  Reuters
  2. Ethiopia receives 12 Russian Su-35 jets, plans S-400 acquisition  Al Jazeera
  3. Ethiopia takes delivery of 12 Su-35 Russian fighter jets ahead of schedule as regional tensions rise  Business Insider Africa
  4. Ethiopia Gets 12 Russian Su-35 Fighters, Eyes S-400 Air Defenses  TWZ
  5. Why Ethiopia Is Now Flying Russian Fighter Jets  The National Interest
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EU removes mention of ‘associate membership’ from Canada declaration – Euronews.com

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  1. EU removes mention of ‘associate membership’ from Canada declaration  Euronews.com
  2. Canada, European Union officials drop 'associate member' from joint summit declaration  Reuters
  3. EU backs away from offer to Canada to start ‘associate member’ talks  The Guardian
  4. EU dropping associate membership title for its closer alliance with Canada  CBC
  5. Canada and Europe want to reshape the global order. But whose vision will prevail?  POLITICO.eu
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Budget 2026: £100 energy payment for millions and rise in bank tax as watchdog warns on stalling living standards – as it happened

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OBR says that living standards are forecast to rise by just 1% over the whole post-Covid decade

Martin Lewis said that, when he met John Healey this morning, the chancellor said that, having removed standing charges from gas bills, he would also like to get rid of them from electricity bills. Lewis said:

The chancellor said he will be talking to Ofgem about how they get rid of the charge on electricity as well, but that is ‘trickier’ apparently and will take longer.

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Tommy Robinson found guilty of harassing journalists

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Daily Mail reporters and their families fled homes after far-right activist targeted them over coverage

The far-right activist Tommy Robinson has been found guilty of harassing two journalists to the point where it caused them fear of violence.

Journalists from the Daily Mail and their family members fled their homes after “bullyboy, intimidatory tactics” were deployed by Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, his trial was told.

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Trump says government to ‘terminate’ Biden-era methane emissions rules

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Critics warn of climate danger as president in Texas claims change will save companies and consumers billions

Donald Trump said his administration is “terminating” Biden-era regulations holding oil and gas companies accountable for large leaks of planet-warming methane during a rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday evening.

“Tonight, I’m officially terminating Biden’s expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers,” Trump said, lifting what he called “crippling regulations on methane that caused prices to skyrocket” for small oil and gas operators. The change would save consumers and energy producers $45bn and unlock 210m barrels of oil, he said, which is equivalent to about 10 days of US petroleum consumption.

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Second fatal train collision this year casts doubt over Spain’s high-speed rail network

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Questions were raised before Toledo crash over rail safety in a country where train travel has surged by 40%

Spain’s high-speed rail network, the most extensive in Europe and the second largest in the world after China, has long been a point of pride in the country. But Wednesday’s deadly crash – the second in nine months – has recast the spotlight on questions about safety.

Officials said at least 68 people were killed on Wednesday morning after a high-speed train slammed into another that had stopped on the tracks, leading to the derailment of several carriages. The two trains were believed to be carrying 544 passengers.

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