Author: Fatimah Idera

More than 100 asylum seekers were held at two UK immigration detention centres staged overnight protests against the government’s controversial “one in, one out” agreement with France. The protests took place on Wednesday night at Harmondsworth detention centre near Heathrow and Brook House near Gatwick, where people selected for removal to France are held. Detainees said they were peacefully resisting transfer to the airport, arguing that the scheme was unfair and placed some of them at serious risk. Under the policy, a small number of people who arrive in the UK by small boat are detained and sent to France,…

A Palestinian citizen of Israel has been granted asylum in the UK after a long legal battle, in a decision described as unprecedented. The man, identified as Hasan, is believed to be the first Palestinian with Israeli citizenship to be formally recognised as a refugee in the UK. The Home Office accepted that he has a “well-founded fear of persecution” if returned to Israel. Hasan, 26, was born in Israel to a Palestinian family whose community remained after the 1948 war, known to Palestinians as the Nakba. He later moved to the UK as a child and spent most of…

The UK has sent a military officer to Greenland to take part in a joint reconnaissance mission, as Denmark and its allies increase their military focus on the Arctic and High North. Downing Street confirmed the officer was deployed at Denmark’s request to join a reconnaissance team ahead of a planned Danish-led exercise known as Operation Arctic Endurance. UK officials stressed the move does not amount to a troop deployment but is part of routine military planning with allies. Denmark’s defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, said the operation would involve several allied nations and warned that security conditions in the…

More than 20 council elections in England scheduled for May are likely to be postponed, as councils say they cannot run them properly while major local government reforms are under way. Around a third of eligible councils have asked the government for permission to delay their elections, arguing that ongoing restructuring has stretched their capacity. Under the reforms, many areas are moving from a two-tier system of district and county councils to single unitary authorities, which will be responsible for all local services. In total, up to 63 council areas could delay elections until 2027, following earlier postponements in some…

According to a new survey that highlights mixed and sometimes conflicting views on free speech, about one in three students believe politicians from Reform UK should be barred from speaking on university campuses. The poll, conducted by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi), found that 35% of students supported banning Reform UK speakers. This included 41% of students who said they voted for Reform in the 2024 general election. At the same time, 69% of respondents said universities should never restrict free speech, revealing a clear contradiction in attitudes. Similar views were expressed about other parties. Sixteen per cent of…

The number of women dying during or shortly after pregnancy in the UK has risen by 20% over the past 14 years, despite a Conservative government pledge to halve maternal deaths. Figures from MBRRACE-UK, a research programme led by the University of Oxford, show that maternal mortality increased between 2009–11 and 2022–24, instead of falling as promised. In 2015, former health secretary Jeremy Hunt vowed to cut maternal deaths by half by 2030, later bringing the target forward to 2025. Experts described the latest findings as deeply troubling. While deaths linked to pre-existing conditions worsened by pregnancy rose only…

France has banned 10 British far-right activists from entering or remaining in the country over activities targeting migrants.

Over 250 doctors and senior health professionals have urged Welsh politicians to reject the assisted dying bill currently moving through the UK Parliament. In an open letter, they said that while end-of-life care in Wales often falls short due to a lack of palliative and hospice beds, the proposed law is not the solution. The medical experts warned that the bill could put patients at risk and weaken Wales’ control over its healthcare system. Without consent from the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), it is still possible that people in Wales could legally seek an assisted death, but it would not be…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on governments, including Nigeria, to increase taxes on sugary drinks and alcohol to improve public health and save lives. WHO warns that these products are widely available and too cheap, fueling obesity, diabetes, cancer, and injuries worldwide. “Health taxes reduce consumption of harmful products, preventing disease and easing pressure on health systems,” WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said. “They also generate revenue governments can invest in health, education, and social protection.” The WHO report shows that at least 116 countries tax sugar-sweetened beverages. However, many high-sugar products, such as sodas, sweetened milk drinks, ready-to-drink…

Prime Minister Keir Starmer came under pressure from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch during Prime Minister’s Questions, with the rollback of the government’s digital ID plans dominating a lively Commons exchange. Badenoch repeatedly accused the government of U-turns, prompting her MPs to shout “U-turn” after each policy she listed, including changes on digital ID, business rates, jury service and farm inheritance tax. She directly challenged Starmer on ministers’ decision to scale back plans that would have required workers to use a central digital ID to prove their right to work, suggesting the reversal exposed confusion at the heart of government. Starmer…