Former Bangladesh PM and UK Lawmaker Niece Sentenced in Graft Case
Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday by a special court in Bangladesh on corruption charges. Her niece, Tulip Siddiq, a UK lawmaker, received a four-year sentence in connection with the same case, according to Euronews. The charges stem from accusations that Hasina misused her power to illegally secure plots of land in a government project near Dhaka for distribution to her family. Judge Mohammed Rabiul Alam of the Special Judges Court-4 also handed down separate fines in the case, Euronews reported.
In other international news, Marius Borg Hoiby, the eldest son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, was arrested on Sunday in Oslo on new criminal allegations, Sky News reported Tuesday. Hoiby, 29, was already awaiting trial on 38 charges, including rape. The new allegations include causing bodily harm, wielding a knife, and violating a restraining order. Police are seeking permission to keep Hoiby in custody for the next four weeks, according to Sky News.
Meanwhile, in Iran, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian was arrested in Tehran on Saturday, days after signing a statement criticizing Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his regime's crackdown on protesters, Sky News reported. Mahmoudian co-wrote the script for the Iranian drama "It Was Just An Accident." The specific charges against Mahmoudian remain unclear, according to representatives of the film.
Across the continent, the European Union is open to discussing closer trade ties with the UK, including the possibility of a customs union, according to European Commissioner for finance Valdis Dombrovskis. Speaking after talks with ministers including Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Dombrovskis told the BBC that Brussels would be "openminded" about discussing the move. He also stated that Britain and the EU could remove "most" food-related checks.
In other news affecting the UK, Pornhub began restricting access for UK users on February 2, following the implementation of the Online Safety Act in July 2025, according to BBC Technology. The law requires robust age verification measures for adult content websites. Pornhub's parent company, Aylo, claimed the law has driven users to sites not following the law and increased "exposure to [harmful content]". Critics of the law point out that it can be circumvented by using a virtual private network (VPN), which makes it appear the user is accessing the internet from a different location.
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