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Dozens of people accused of sharing sensitive information with Israel have been arrested in several areas of Iran, local media reported on Sunday, as Israeli and US fighter jets continue to strike new targets in the country.

Three members of the Iranian women's football team who had sought asylum in Australia have decided to return to Iran, the government said on Sunday.

Borrowers coming off fixed deals hit hard as Savills says big spike in interest payments made up half the overall rise UK households spent a record £226bn to keep a roof over their heads last year, figures showed on Monday, with mortgage borrowers finishing fixed-rate deals particularly hard hit by rising payments.Overall housing costs have gone up by £66bn over the past five years, a rise of 41%, the property group Savills said. Continue reading...

Pretending not to hear parents or hiding toys are among children’s early ploys, while by age of three they may be telling lies such as ‘a ghost ate the chocolate’, research finds They may be yet to take their first step or say their first word, but some babies have already grasped the basics of deception before their first birthday, according to research.The study, based on interviews with 750 parents, suggested that by 10 months about a quarter of children were practising some rudimentary form of deceit such as pretending not to hear their parents, hiding toys or eating forbidden foods out of view. By the age of three, children were more proficient, creative and frequent fabricators, according to the parents’ responses. Continue reading...

Government reluctant to dispatch ships amid concerns complying with Trump’s demands could escalate Iran crisisMinisters are drawing up plans to send minesweeping drones to the strait of Hormuz amid concerns in Whitehall that complying with Donald Trump’s demand to send ships could escalate the crisis.The government is considering dispatching aerial minesweepers to help clear the vital waterway of mines in an attempt to allow the flow of oil exports to resume. However, officials said that sending ships, as requested over the weekend by the US president, could worsen the situation given the volatile nature of the war. Continue reading...

Far-right and radical left parties likely to increase their local presence in advance of next year’s presidential raceThe first-round of the French municipal elections have seen a strong showing for Marine Le Pen’s far-right the National Rally (RN), as well as for Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s radical left, with both parties likely to increase their local presence ahead of next year’s French presidential race.The French local elections, which now go to a final round runoff on 22 March, are seen as a crucial test of the political temperature before next year’s presidential election. Emmanuel Macron’s two terms in office come to an end in spring 2027 and there is uncertainty about who will next lead the EU’s second-largest economy. Continue reading...

An international law expert was astounded on Sunday as the Trump administration quietly "rewarded" a country for helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions. Last week, the Trump administration approved a settlement with Turkey's state-owned Halkbank, which laundered money from Iranian oil back to the Iranian regime while the country was under maximum sanctions by the U.S. In all, the fine for the case could have surpassed $40 billion, according to Sinan Ciddi, senior fellow and director of the Turkey Program at Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Cinan argued in an op-ed for The Hill that the Trump administration was undermining the credibility of the U.S. by letting Turkey off the hook with such a lenient settlement. Cinan discussed the settlement with Adam Klasfeld on a new episode of the "All Rise News" podcast on Sunday. "I still continue to understand that the Turkish government is insisting that there will be no formal admission of guilt to the outcome of this," he said. "Basically, in common everyday language, they're walking away from this with zero or very minimal damage to reputation, or any sort of accountability for what they've done. And it's disappointing."Cinan described the settlement as a "reward" for Turkey, although it remains unclear what they're being rewarded for. Turkey is a NATO ally and may have been involved in returning the October 7 hostages to Israel, Cinan noted. "I don't necessarily think that Turkey should be rewarded for doing the bare minimum, which is the right thing," Cinan said. "But, if it is playing an outsized role in, for example, bringing the Iranian regime to its knees, or it's going to play a proactive role in securing a ceasefire in Iran or something that is of material value, I don't know necessarily if that meets the bar of letting off the hook a country that has done so much damage our sanctions regime on Iran."

Minister Tony Burke confirms another member of Iran’s women’s football team left Australia late Sunday nightFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe captain of the Iranian women’s football squad has left Australia after withdrawing her claim of asylum.Zahra Ghanbari became the fifth member of the football cohort to change her mind after initially taking up an offer to stay in the country following the Asian Cup. Continue reading...