Sabtu, 05 Oktober 2019

Australian-UK blogger couple freed from Iran jail - BBC News

A British-Australian woman and her Australian boyfriend have been released from an Iranian jail, Australia's government has said.

Jolie King and Mark Firkin were detained in Tehran earlier this year for reportedly flying a drone without a permit while on a trip across Asia.

A second British-Australian, university lecturer Kylie Moore-Gilbert, is still in prison.

Australia's foreign minister said talks to secure her release were ongoing.

Marise Payne told reporters that it was "with some enormous relief" that she could announce Jolie King and Mark Firkin "have been released and returned".

The pair were detained after entering Iran as part of a major trip across Asia to the UK - they were blogging about it for thousands of followers on social media.

Meanwhile, Australia released an Iranian student, Reza Dehbashi Kivi, back to Tehran, according to the country's semi-official news agency Fars.

He had been arrested in September 2018 for allegedly sending American-made military equipment to Iran.

Australia's Attorney General Christian Porter said extradition decisions were made on a "case by case" basis.

In what he said was a longstanding policy, Mr Porter declined to give further details about the decision, saying it could "diminish our government's capacity to deal with future matters of this type in Australia's best interests".

According to Australia's foreign minister Marise Payne, Ms Moore-Gilbert remains in prison in Tehran, where she has been for almost a year having reportedly been given a 10-year sentence.

"Very long-term negotiations" were taking place to secure the release of the Cambridge-educated academic, Ms Payne added.

Ms Moore-Gilbert was most recently a lecturer in Islamic Studies at Melbourne University.

Earlier, Fars reported that the Islamic Republic's judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmayeeli confirmed Ms Moore-Gilbert, Ms King and Mr Firkin had all been detained for spying.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

The two British-Australian women were believed to be the first British passport holders without dual Iranian nationality to be held in the country in recent years.

Their detention echoes that of British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been imprisoned since 2016 after being convicted of spying, which she denies.

On Friday it was announced that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe would allow her daughter Gabriella, five, to return to the UK to begin schooling.

The mother and daughter were said by family to have travelled together to Iran to visit relatives before she was detained.

Who are the other Britons detained in Iran?

As well as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a number of other dual UK-Iranian citizens are being detained in Iran.

Iran does not recognise dual nationality, and there are no exact figures on the numbers of dual nationals in custody.

But they do include businessman and wildlife conservationist Morad Tahbaz, who also has US citizenship and was arrested in a crackdown on environmental activists in January 2018, and Kameel Ahmady, a social anthropologist, who has been in custody since August.

Anousheh Ashouri, a British-Iranian dual national, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court in Tehran after being convicted of spying for Israel.

Aras Amiri, 33, a UK resident who works for the British Council in London, was held in March 2018 on a visit to her unwell grandmother. This year Ms Amiri lost an appeal against a jail term for spying, and her British fiancé, James Tyson, told the BBC she was being used as a "bargaining chip" by Iran's government.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49943566

2019-10-05 10:29:03Z
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Australian-UK blogger couple freed from Iran jail - BBC News

A British-Australian woman and her Australian boyfriend have been released from an Iranian jail, Australia's government has said.

Jolie King and Mark Firkin were detained in Tehran earlier this year for reportedly flying a drone without a permit while on a trip across Asia.

A second British-Australian, university lecturer Kylie Moore-Gilbert, is still in prison.

Australia's foreign minister said talks to secure her release were ongoing.

Marise Payne told reporters that it was "with some enormous relief" that she could announce Jolie King and Mark Firkin "have been released and returned".

The pair were detained after entering Iran as part of a major trip across Asia to the UK - they were blogging about it for thousands of followers on social media.

Meanwhile, Australia released an Iranian student, Reza Dehbashi, back to Tehran, according to the country's semi-official news agency Fars.

He had been arrested in September 2018 for allegedly sending American-made military equipment to Iran.

The BBC has contacted the Australian government for comment on the release.

According to Australia's foreign minister, Ms Moore-Gilbert remains in prison in Tehran, where she has been for almost a year having reportedly been given a 10-year sentence.

"Very long-term negotiations" were taking place to secure the release of the Cambridge-educated academic, Ms Payne added.

Ms Moore-Gilbert was most recently a lecturer in Islamic Studies at Melbourne University.

Earlier, Fars reported that the Islamic Republic's judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmayeeli confirmed Ms Moore-Gilbert, Ms King and Mr Firkin had all been detained for spying.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

The two British-Australian women were believed to be the first British passport holders without dual Iranian nationality to be held in the country in recent years.

Their detention echoes that of British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been imprisoned since 2016 after being convicted of spying, which she denies.

On Friday it was announced that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe would allow her daughter Gabriella, five, to return to the UK to begin schooling.

The mother and daughter were said by family to have travelled together to Iran to visit relatives before she was detained.

Who are the other Britons detained in Iran?

As well as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a number of other dual UK-Iranian citizens are being detained in Iran.

Iran does not recognise dual nationality, and there are no exact figures on the numbers of dual nationals in custody.

But they do include Kamal Foroughi, a former oil and gas consultant, who has been held since 2011; businessman and wildlife conservationist Morad Tahbaz who also has US citizenship and was arrested in a crackdown on environmental activists in January 2018, and Kameel Ahmady, a social anthropologist, who has been in custody since August.

Anousheh Ashouri, a British-Iranian dual national, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court in Tehran after being convicted of spying for Israel.

Aras Amiri, 33, a UK resident who works for the British Council in London, was held in March 2018 on a visit to her unwell grandmother. This year Ms Amiri lost an appeal against a jail term for spying, and her British fiancé, James Tyson, told the BBC she was being used as a "bargaining chip" by Iran's government.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49943566

2019-10-05 10:25:59Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay00OTk0MzU2NtIBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNDk5NDM1NjY

Australian-British blogger and boyfriend freed from Iran jail - BBC News

A British-Australian woman and her Australian boyfriend have been released from an Iranian jail, Australia's government has said.

Jolie King, who also holds a UK passport, and Mark Firkin were detained in Tehran earlier this year for reportedly flying a drone without a permit.

A second British-Australian, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, is still in prison.

Australia's foreign minister said talks to secure her release were ongoing.

Marise Payne told reporters that it was "with some enormous relief" that she could announce Jolie King and Mark Firkin "have been released and returned".

The pair were detained after entering Iran as part of a major trip across Asia to the UK - they were blogging about it for thousands of followers on social media.

Ms Payne confirmed Ms Moore-Gilbert remained in prison, where she has been for almost a year having reportedly been given a 10-year sentence.

"Very long-term negotiations" were taking place to secure the release of the Cambridge-educated academic, Ms Payne added.

Ms Moore-Gilbert was most recently a lecturer in Islamic Studies at Melbourne University.

Earlier, Iran's semi-official news agency Fars reported that the Islamic Republic's judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmayeeli confirmed all three were detained for spying.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

The two British-Australian women were believed to be the first British passport holders without dual Iranian nationality to be held in the country in recent years.

Their detention echoes that of British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been imprisoned since 2016 after being convicted of spying, which she denies.

On Friday it was announced that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe would allow her daughter Gabriella, five, to return to the UK to begin schooling.

The mother and daughter were said by family to have travelled together to Iran to visit relatives before she was detained.

Who are the other Britons detained in Iran?

As well as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a number of other dual UK-Iranian citizens are also being detained in Iran.

Iran does not recognise dual nationality, and there are no exact figures on the numbers of dual nationals in custody.

But they do include Kamal Foroughi, a former oil and gas consultant, who has been held since 2011; businessman and wildlife conservationist Morad Tahbaz who also has US citizenship and was arrested in a crackdown on environmental activists in January 2018, and Kameel Ahmady, a social anthropologist, who has been in custody since August.

Anousheh Ashouri, a British-Iranian dual national, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court in Tehran after being convicted of spying for Israel.

Aras Amiri, 33, a UK resident who works for the British Council in London, was held in March 2018 on a visit to her unwell grandmother. This year Ms Amiri lost an appeal against a jail term for spying, and her British fiancé, James Tyson, told the BBC she was being used as a "bargaining chip" by Iran's government.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49943566

2019-10-05 07:27:48Z
52780401644587

Australian-British blogger and boyfriend freed from Iran jail - BBC News

A British-Australian woman and her Australian boyfriend have been released from an Iranian jail, Australia's government has said.

Jolie King, who also holds a UK passport, and Mark Firkin were detained in Tehran earlier this year for reportedly flying a drone without a permit.

A second British-Australian, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, is still in prison.

Australia's foreign minister said talks to secure her release were ongoing.

Marise Payne told reporters that it was "with some enormous relief" that she could announce Jolie King and Mark Firkin "have been released and returned".

The pair were detained after entering Iran as part of a major trip across Asia to the UK - they were blogging about it for thousands of followers on social media.

Ms Payne confirmed Ms Moore-Gilbert remained in prison, where she has been for almost a year having reportedly been given a 10-year sentence.

"Very long-term negotiations" were taking place to secure the release of the Cambridge-educated academic, Ms Payne added.

Ms Moore-Gilbert was most recently a lecturer in Islamic Studies at Melbourne University.

Earlier, Iran's semi-official news agency Fars reported that the Islamic Republic's judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmayeeli confirmed all three were detained for spying.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

The two British-Australian women were believed to be the first British passport holders without dual Iranian nationality to be held in the country in recent years.

Their detention echoes that of British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been imprisoned since 2016 after being convicted of spying, which she denies.

On Friday it was announced that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe would allow her daughter Gabriella, five, to return to the UK to begin schooling.

The mother and daughter were said by family to have travelled together to Iran to visit relatives before she was detained.

Who are the other Britons detained in Iran?

As well as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a number of other dual UK-Iranian citizens are also being detained in Iran.

Iran does not recognise dual nationality, and there are no exact figures on the numbers of dual nationals in custody.

But they do include Kamal Foroughi, a former oil and gas consultant, who has been held since 2011; businessman and wildlife conservationist Morad Tahbaz who also has US citizenship and was arrested in a crackdown on environmental activists in January 2018, and Kameel Ahmady, a social anthropologist, who has been in custody since August.

Anousheh Ashouri, a British-Iranian dual national, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court in Tehran after being convicted of spying for Israel.

Aras Amiri, 33, a UK resident who works for the British Council in London, was held in March 2018 on a visit to her unwell grandmother. This year Ms Amiri lost an appeal against a jail term for spying, and her British fiancé, James Tyson, told the BBC she was being used as a "bargaining chip" by Iran's government.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49943566

2019-10-05 07:04:12Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay00OTk0MzU2NtIBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNDk5NDM1NjY

Australian-British blogger and boyfriend freed from Iran jail - BBC News

A British-Australian woman and her Australian boyfriend have been released from an Iranian jail, Australia's government has said.

Jolie King, who also holds a UK passport, and Mark Firkin were detained in Tehran earlier this year for reportedly flying a drone without a permit.

A second British-Australian, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, is still in prison.

Australia's foreign minister said talks to secure her release were ongoing.

Marise Payne told reporters that it was "with some enormous relief" that she could announce Jolie King and Mark Firkin "have been released and returned".

The pair were detained after entering Iran as part of a major trip across Asia to the UK - they were blogging about it for thousands of followers on social media.

Ms Payne confirmed Ms Moore-Gilbert remained in prison, where she has been for almost a year having reportedly been given a 10-year sentence.

"Very long-term negotiations" were taking place to secure the release of the Cambridge-educated academic, Ms Payne added.

Ms Moore-Gilbert was most recently a lecturer in Islamic Studies at Melbourne University.

Earlier, Iran's semi-official news agency Fars reported that the Islamic Republic's judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmayeeli confirmed all three were detained for spying.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

The two British-Australian women were believed to be the first British passport holders without dual Iranian nationality to be held in the country in recent years.

Their detention echoes that of British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been imprisoned since 2016 after being convicted of spying, which she denies.

On Friday it was announced that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe would allow her daughter Gabriella, five, to return to the UK to begin schooling.

The mother and daughter were said by family to have travelled together to Iran to visit relatives before she was detained.

Who are the other Britons detained in Iran?

As well as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a number of other dual UK-Iranian citizens are also being detained in Iran.

Iran does not recognise dual nationality, and there are no exact figures on the numbers of dual nationals in custody.

But they do include Kamal Foroughi, a former oil and gas consultant, who has been held since 2011; businessman and wildlife conservationist Morad Tahbaz who also has US citizenship and was arrested in a crackdown on environmental activists in January 2018, and Kameel Ahmady, a social anthropologist, who has been in custody since August.

Anousheh Ashouri, a British-Iranian dual national, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court in Tehran after being convicted of spying for Israel.

Aras Amiri, 33, a UK resident who works for the British Council in London, was held in March 2018 on a visit to her unwell grandmother. This year Ms Amiri lost an appeal against a jail term for spying, and her British fiancé, James Tyson, told the BBC she was being used as a "bargaining chip" by Iran's government.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49943566

2019-10-05 07:01:44Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay00OTk0MzU2NtIBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNDk5NDM1NjY

Jumat, 04 Oktober 2019

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to send daughter home to UK - BBC News

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A British-Iranian woman jailed in Iran is to send her daughter home to the UK to start school, she has said in an open letter.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was jailed for five years in 2016 after being convicted of spying, which she denies.

Her family insist she was in Iran to introduce her daughter to relatives.

Five-year-old Gabriella - who has been living with her grandparents in Tehran - has visited her mother at least once a week since her arrest.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab described the letter as "heart-breaking" and said Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's detainment was "unjustifiable and unacceptable".

Her daughter will be back in London before Christmas, according to the Times.

Speaking to the BBC, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband, Richard Ratcliffe, confirmed that the couple have decided to bring Gabriella back to the UK to start school.

He added that his wife is hoping for a last minute release to enable her to come home with Gabriella. "I don't think she's expecting it though," he said.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family told the Times they had agreed Gabriella should return to the UK for the start of the school year in September but postponed the decision after Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was taken to a psychiatric hospital.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 40, was returned to prison after a week but not permitted phone calls with Mr Ratcliffe, who is in London.

In an open letter addressed to "the mothers of Iran", Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, from West Hampstead, pleaded with the Iranian authorities to free her so she can return to London with Gabriella.

"I have no hope or motivation after my baby goes. There is no measure to my pain," she wrote in the letter, which was smuggled out of Tehran's Evin prison and published online in Farsi and English.

She said her daughter's journey back to the UK would be "a daunting trip for her travelling, and for me left behind".

"And the authorities who hold me will watch on, unmoved at the injustice of separation. That first day of school not for me," she added.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is giving up Gabriella's weekly visits to see her in prison so that she can live in Britain, where she was born.

"Those brief minutes might be the shortest of cuddles, but without doubt the most beautiful and uplifting cuddles in the whole world," she wrote.

She described the thought of not being able to hold her child as "the deepest torture of them all".

In her letter, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she was a "pawn in the hands of politicians - abroad and in Iran - to reach their goals in their games of chess".

Mr Raab said Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's letter showed "the pain and suffering that she and her family are going through".

"Her callous and cruel detainment for political purposes by the government of Iran is wholly unjustifiable and unacceptable," he said.

"The government of Iran should, as a matter of international law and basic decency, release Nazanin immediately so she can be reunited with her loved ones."

Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for the release of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe during a meeting with Iran's president.

In 2017, when he was foreign secretary, Mr Johnson apologised after saying she was in Iran "teaching people journalism" - despite her family's insistence she was there to visit relatives.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49931523

2019-10-04 08:50:38Z
52780400689273

Game publishers exploit 'culturally British' loophole, dodge millions in UK taxes - The Next Web

A report from The Guardian reveals that a British tax relief fun has paid the vast majority of its funds — which were originally intended to be earmarked for smaller developers based in the UK — to global game publishers such as Sony, Sega, and Warner.

Specifically, the report reveals that these companies have used this tax loophole to avoid paying tens of millions of pounds in taxes. Video Game Tax Relief (VGTR) allows game publishers to claim back up to 20 percent of some production costs. Each individual claim can amount up to £500,000, and the companies in question have, since VGTR has existed, claimed £20 million (Sega), £30 million (Sony), and £60 million (Warner) in tax breaks. According to The Guardian, the £500k claims are a small fraction of the total number made, and yet they account for 80 percent of the total tax relief — and almost all of those claims are made by big game publishers.

This is not an uncommon industry practice — in fact, this is the second time this year a major game company has reportedly used VGTR to get a tax break. The first one (or rather, the first to be reported on) was Rockstar. And several major game developers and publishers maintain branches in England and Ireland, so they do contribute to the industry’s economy over there in a material way.

Still, it’s a bit galling as VGTR was apparently approved by the European Commission under the presumption it would benefit “a small number of distinctive, culturally British games which have increasing difficulties to find private financing.” The Commission even investigated it to determine that specific fact.

To claim VGTR, companies even have to take a test to prove that their game is either overwhelmingly culturally European or was made primarily in Europe. I scoffed at that notion when I heard that Rockstar was doing it, given that every Rockstar game is somehow a satire of the American Dream. But since lots of these studios put work through their UK branches, they can scoot by on a technicality.

As much of an open secret as it is in the industry, it’s still kind of amusing to hear that the vast majority of games getting a “culturally British” tax break are some of the least British I’ve ever heard of.

Revealed: global video games giants avoiding millions in UK tax on The Guardian

Read next: Apple might launch an iPhone SE 2 next year, but with an iPhone 8 design - boo!

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https://thenextweb.com/gaming/2019/10/03/major-publishers-tax-loophole-british-games/

2019-10-03 21:40:37Z
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