News Desk

Women’s rights activist Mohammadi was arrested in December while attending a memorial ceremony in Mashhad.

Iranian human rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison, according to her lawyers and a group that supports her.

Mohammadi, 53, was on ⁠a week-long hunger strike that ended on Sunday, the Narges Foundation said in a statement. It said Mohammadi told her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, in a phone call on Sunday from prison that she had received her sentence on Saturday.

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“She has been sentenced to six years in prison for gathering and collusion to commit crimes,” Nili told the AFP news agency.

She was also handed a one-and-a-half-year prison sentence for propaganda activities and is to be exiled for two years to the city of Khosf in the eastern province of South Khorasan, the lawyer added.

She also received a two-year ban on leaving the country, according to the report.

Nili said the verdict was not final and could be appealed, expressing hope that the activist could be temporarily “released on bail to receive treatment,” due to her health issues.

Mohammadi had on February 2 begun a hunger strike to protest the conditions of her imprisonment and the inability to make phone calls to lawyers and family.

“Narges Mohammadi ended her hunger strike today on its 6th day, while reports indicate her physical condition is deeply alarming,” the foundation said.

Mohammadi told Nili she was transferred to the hospital just three days ago “due to her deteriorating health”, it added.

“However, she was returned to the Ministry of Intelligence’s security detention centre in Mashhad before completing her treatment,” the foundation said.

“Her continued detention is life threatening and a violation of human rights laws.”

Mohammadi is the second Iranian woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize after Shirin Ebadi won the award in 2003 for her efforts to promote democracy and human rights.

A prominent writer and journalist, Mohammadi serves as deputy director of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), an organisation long dedicated to defending political prisoners and promoting broader human rights reforms in Iran. Beyond her advocacy for gender equality, she campaigns vigorously against the death penalty and corruption.

Her 20-year fight for women’s rights made her a symbol of freedom, the Nobel Committee said in 2023.

Mohammadi was arrested on December 12 after denouncing the suspicious death of lawyer Khosrow Alikordi.

Prosecutor Hasan Hematifar told reporters then that Mohammadi made provocative remarks at Alikordi’s memorial ceremony in the northeastern city of ‌Mashhad and encouraged those present “to chant norm-breaking slogans” and “disturb the peace”.

The Apprentice has reportedly had to make a change to the format as producers wanted viewers to see more explosive scenes set in the boardroom on the hit BBC series

The Apprentice has reportedly had to make a major change amid BBC budget cuts. Lord Alan Sugar’s hit reality show, which has been on air for more than 20 years, sees its contestants all vying to the next big thing in business trying to get their hands on the grand prize of a £250,000 prize.

In the early years of the show, the winning contestant landed a six-figure job with the magnate himself, and throughout the series, they are treated to luxuries such as spa breaks and helicopter rides if they perform well in various tasks within the competition. However, it’s now thought that these sorts of prizes have been ditched from the format entirely.

Currently on air for its landmark 20th series, it’s thought that producers got rid of the prizes in order to fit more “fiery debates” into the running time. A source said: “The Apprentice is known for laying on lavish gifts for the winning team.”

READ MORE: BBC licence fee set to rise in just a matter of weeks as new cost revealedREAD MORE: The Apprentice’s Lord Sugar fires third candidate who ‘loved being on camera’

Speaking to The Sun, the source added: “Fans love to see them get to celebrate their victory by enjoying themselves. However the producers want the viewers to see more of the fiery boardroom debates this year.”

It comes amid news that the BBC licence fee is set to rise. . From April 1, it will go up to £180 as required by the 2022 Licence Fee Settlement, in line with inflation. The cost of an annual colour TV licence will rise by £5.50, which is the equivalent of 46p per month.

The Mirror has contacted the BBC for comment

Last week, Marcus Donkoh became the third contestant to be axed from the programme this year after failing to impress. The group he was heading up were tasked with creating a book aimed at four top six year olds, and pitched it, along with an audio version, to retailers. Lord Sugar didn’t pull any punches when the team were unable to provide enough product sales. The book, which had missing illustrations, was said to have had “no point” to the story.

Following his elimination, he said: “I feel as though, in the real business world, you have a lot of information – you do have to make quick decisions, but you have a time to think.

“It was really intense in the boardroom, I had to make a decision very quickly on who to bring back. So, changing my mind didn’t help, but I feel as though there were other candidates that performed a lot worse than I did, didn’t do what they were supposed to do, and I feel as though they deserved to get kicked off rather than myself.”

Despite Lord Sugar’s decision, the failed contestant says he wouldn’t change anything. “I think what I did was fine,” he confessed. “I am human. Humans can change their minds, and I feel as though I did get penalised for it, but no, I would not change what I did.”

The first episode saw a double elimination as event manager Georgina Newton was first to go and quickly followed by Nikki Jetha.

Just before the launch of the show’s latest series, Lord Alan explained that the longevity of the programme likely relied on the fact that a new audience are discovering it year on year.

He said: “I think the programme itself brings in a new audience every year, because 20 years ago, I had nine-year-olds watching it who are now 29. And the new generation of 16-year-olds are coming in and loving it. So the audience is growing. The audience is holding up, and that’s why the BBC keeps doing it.”

* The Apprentice continues on Thursday nights on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.

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Feb. 7 (Asia Today) — A presiding judge at the Changwon District Court has been summarily indicted on suspicion of violating South Korea’s anti-graft law, prosecutors said Friday, days after he issued acquittals in a high-profile political funding case.

Legal sources said the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office filed a summary indictment against Judge Kim In-taek on Wednesday for alleged violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

Kim is accused of receiving luxury clothing worth several million won (several thousand dollars) last year from a duty-free shop employee identified only as a team leader surnamed A at HDC Shilla Duty Free. Prosecutors are also examining allegations that the employee covered expenses for an overseas trip taken with Kim.

Under the anti-graft law, public officials including judges who receive valuables exceeding 1 million won (about $681) in a single instance can face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won (about $20,438).

On Thursday, Kim acquitted political broker Myung Tae-gyun and former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun of charges related to alleged political funding violations, ruling that money exchanged between them did not constitute political funds, according to the report. In the same case, the court convicted Myung of inducing the concealment of evidence and sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for one year.

Kim is scheduled to transfer to the Suwon District Court on Feb. 23 under the judiciary’s regular personnel rotation.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260207010002588

Four months into the Gaza “ceasefire”, Palestinians in the devastated territory are coming to terms with the post-war situation.

At this year’s edition of the Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, delegates are focusing on the power shifts created by Israel’s genocide.

A new committee of technocrats is expected to be in charge of Gaza’s governance.

The committee is to be overseen by the newly formed Board of Peace, headed by US President Donald Trump.

What are its chances of success?

Presenter: Sami Zeidan

Guests:
Mustafa Barghouti – general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative

Abdullah Al Shayji – professor of international relations and political science at Kuwait University

Ziad Majed – professor of Middle Eastern studies at The American University of Paris

MONTANA Brown is facing the wrath of the internet after her comments that food pouches for kids are ‘c**p’ left viewers feeling patronised.

The series three Love Islander, 30, posted a TikTok discussing what supermarkets brand as “healthy snack pouches” for children and how she feels sickened that people would ever actually purchase them.

Speaking candidly to the camera from her car, Montana said: “All the soon-to-be mothers… don’t get into the trap of buying ‘kids’ food.

“Like going to the kids aisle in a shop and seeing all these like ‘kiddylicious wafers’ and ooh a chicken casserole in a little squirty thing.

“I hate them. I really hate them. I think they [shops and brands] want it to be so easy for us.

“They want it to be so convenient for us that we buy them every day and feed them to our kids because it’s healthy and it’s an easy…

“[You think to yourself] you don’t have to MAKE them a chicken casserole.

” But it’s full of c**p.”

The star continued to say that it can be hard to not fall into the trap of feeding ultra-processed food to your family, but parents could instead give their children “a piece of carrot or cucumber”.

She said: “I used to give Jude [her son] pouches back in the day, he used to have pouches very rarely, and when I looked at the ingredients I was like ”oh my gosh I do not want to give him this stuff ever’.

“Miley [her daughter] I would never give her a pouch, and it just annoys me because I think we need to give kids real food. 

“And actually there doesn’t need to be a kids section necessarily, we can just give them a carrot or we can give them cucumber, we can give them an apple, we can give them a pear.

“It just takes a couple more minutes to prepare. It’s just really frustrating.”

Viewers rushed to let Montana know they thought she crossed the line between being informative and rude, leaving parents feeling guilt-tripped for doing their best as well as patronised.

One user said: “Try being a busy mum with a full time job, being out the house 8am-6pm every day (bills to pay).

“We need a bit of convenience at times. Don’t guilt trip those of us who don’t have time to scratch cook nutritiously balance meals 21 times a week.”

A second responded sarcastically with: “Don’t give up breastfeeding until they go to high school, give them avocados and salmon everyday for breakfast otherwise they’ll never survive the real world x”

A third added: “This isn’t it babe. Mum shaming as a Mum herself is crazy.”

Montana and her fiancé professional rugby player Mark O’Connor met in 2021.

They share two children, who were born in 2023 and 2025.

Montana has been open about her difficult journey to motherhood, having experienced a breech as well as a home birth.

With Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim by his side, U.S. President Donald Trump oversees the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in October. Photo Courtesy of The White House | License Photo

Feb. 8 (UPI) — Thailand’s conservative-royalist party won the election Sunday.

The Bhumjaithai party secured 194 House of Representatives spots after 89 percent of the votes had been tallied, The New York Times reported.

“We will accept the decision of the people in giving us the confidence, the trust to the Bhumjaithai party,” said Anutin Charnvirakul, who helms the party, per the outlet.

Charnvirakul had vowed to construct a border wall following a battle with Cambodia over the boundary between countries.

Bhumjaithai has committed to uphold the monarchy status quo.

The more progressive People’s Party earned some 116 seats, while the Pheu Thai party gained 86 spots.

“People’s priorities have shifted from reform to the need for stability,” ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute fellow Tita Sanglee told The New York Times.