Five IUCN member conservationists, including members of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), have been charged with ‘corruption on earth’, the highest penalty for which is execution. The five environmentalists from IUCN Member organisation Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation (PWHF) are Niloufar Bayani, Taher Ghadirian, Sepideh Kashani, Houman Jowkar and Morad Tahbaz. Taher Ghadirian and Houman Jowkar are members of the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group; Taher Ghadirian is also a member of the IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group. They undertake vital conservation work including efforts to conserve the Critically Endangered Asiatic cheetah. "Monitoring and researching species that live in remote landscapes, such as the Asiatic Cheetah, is a challenging task,” said Jon Paul Rodriguez, IUCN Species Survival Commission Chair. “As their numbers have dwindled, Asiatic cheetahs have become elusive, making it difficult for researchers to observe them directly. Novel techniques such as camera traps have proven indispensable in helping researchers gain valuable insights into the status and biology of threatened species worldwide.” The five conservationists had been detained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in January along with four others and charged with espionage. Human rights campaigners and Iran’s government have said the charges against them are unfounded, according to media reports. The four others detained in January are Amir Hossein Khaleqi, member of the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group, of the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication and of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, Sam Rajabi, AbdolReza Koupayeh, and Kavous Seyed-Emami. Kavous Seyed-Emami died in prison for unknown reasons following his detention. IUCN has called for an independent inquiry into his death. Iran is facing environmental challenges including drought, water scarcity and dust storms, which have led to nationwide protests this year.

Shankea lives in constant fear of having to leave the country she has called her home for 18 years. “I was 12 when I came here. I was a young girl dependent on my parents" Since leaving school, she has not been allowed to work. “I’ve never claimed benefits and I don’t have a criminal record. I was not given the opportunity to obtain my degree, to work. What’s the point in existing? I’m a strong woman, but it’s hard. It feels so cruel.” Shankea contributes to her community by doing voluntary work. Her mother passed away in Jamaica. Shankea missed her Mother’s funeral in Jamaica as she feared she wouldn’t be able to return to the UK. Her most recent Home Office application was declined on the grounds that she could maintain her relationships in the UK online. This inhumane treatment is a result of the Government's hostile environment towards Windrush families. As a UK community, we can stand by Shankea and support her by making our voices heard through this petition. UPDATE ON SHANKEA Thanks a million to everyone who has so far signed the petition to help my friend Shankea. It's amazing to me how she has coped with her unstable situation throughout her 20's, and incredible that the Government can contemplate sending her to Jamaica; a place she doesn't know any more. The Home Office say her Father can visit her in Jamaica but they are not taking his illness into consideration. Shankea lived with her Father as a child in London. She eventually moved to Peterborough to live with two Aunties who were able to support her. She has lived here ever since with an incredible 'surrogate Mum,' someone who has 'literally taken me under her wing,' many cousins, friends and a church community. The Government wants to deport her to Jamaica. A place where she has no close relatives and nowhere to stay. She asks "Where would I live? Where would I start? What would people think of me? I don't think I would fit in there. I am very outspoken here in England, but this is frowned upon in Jamaica." How would it feel to be sent away to live in a strange place away from everything & everyone you have grown up with? It is a cruel and inhumane act for any Government to consider, and would lead to psychological pain and suffering. Shankea worked hard at school and achieved three A Levels in Government & Politics, Sociology & English Literature. She applied to University to study Politics and Sociology and was accepted at all five Universities she applied to. She could not take up a place because she couldn't access a student loan due to not having a National Insurance Number. It was at this point, now 11 years ago, that Shankea's fight to remain in the UK started. Shankea has no way of earning a living. She desperately wants to work in the country that provided her education, but she hasn't got the correct papers. Her 'surrogate Mum' provides for her. Her Aunts, church community and friends help her afford to live, but she is constantly living on the breadline. She lives by a strict budget, on 'sheer blessings & luck.' She volunteers as a youth worker and attends access courses. Shankea is a proud young woman who deserves better. She says, " I could have got myself pregnant in order to stay, but that's not me, I don't want to do it that way." The judge has told Shankea she 'doesn't have enough family life here.' BUT WHAT IS A FAMILY IF IT'S NOT A CLOSE KNIT COMMUNITY OF RELATIVES AND FRIENDS? Shankea signs a list every month to prove to the home office she is still in Peterborough and complying. She insists on doing everything 'aboveboard.' All her important documents are with the home office: birth certificate; Jamaican Passport; school papers; leaving certificates; medical records; everything to mark every year she has been here. Part of Shankea's identity is in a file miles away. Shankea has made her life here and wants to stay. All her friends and family want her to stay. Please help her by signing and sharing this petition to every one you can think of so it flies off the scale! TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Thank You

SSE is a privatised utility building Scotland's flagship renewable energy project. They are in receipt of £2.6bn of taxpayers' money. The ITF union and RMT union have discovered that HM Government has relaxed the rules for migrant workers in order to allow SSE to import workers from Indonesia and Russia and pay them less than the minimum wage, let alone the going rate for British offshore workers and seafarers. Furthermore, this is happening in a region that has already been hit by the downturn in North Sea oil production. Thousands of offshore workers and seafarers have been laid off in the last couple of years so there are local men and women eminently qualified to take up these roles. That opportunity has been denied to them because the UK government is collaborating in importing non-EU workers to undercut local workers and the UK minimum wage. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/oct/21/migrants-building-beatrice-windfarm-paid-fraction-of-minimum-wage

British tax payers are being required to work longer and pay NI & tax but state pension not increased, over 60’s who have worked all their lives have paid their tax dues to the country, majority never claimed a penny in benefits but are punished with state pension age being changed and likely will change again to pre war 70 years of age. It is not feasible for the majority of over 60s to stay in their current jobs I.e emergency and armed services, manual workers etc. When we do receive state pension it is another slap in the face that it is taxed, disgraceful country.

Both the Hope Centre and NAASH offer an unmatched and undeniably crucial role in providing vital services to the towns homeless and vulnerable community. No other organisation be it housing, charity or council come near to the services provided or the compassion and heart they are provided with. To allow a business who's bottom line is about profit to take over this service in conjunction with other organisations that are only interested in control rather than compassion is not in the best interest of the homeless community in this town.

Click here for an easy read version of this petition: https://38dgs.org.uk/petition_easy_read “We are not a problem that needs solving, we are people who have rights and those rights are taken away from us” - self advocate with learning difficulties We all have a right to choose how we live. Living with dementia, learning difficulties or brain injuries doesn’t change this, and shouldn’t mean your feelings and wishes are ignored when it comes to the support you receive. But right now the government is proposing a new law that will make it easier to deprive someone of their liberty if they are judged unable to make decisions for themselves. It could mean people are forced to live in care homes because it’s cheaper and easier for the local council even though it’s not what they want or need. Right now decisions like these are taken with the help of an independent assessment that considers the opinions and wishes of the person and makes sure the care that is provided is what the person needs. The new law will get rid of these independent assessments in the majority of cases, and puts a lot of decision making power in the hand of care home managers, who have an interest in keeping people in their care homes. No one should be deprived of their liberty unless their safety is at risk and all less restrictive options have been explored. But the changes to the law going through parliament right now will make it more likely that people will be deprived of their freedom to make life easier for local councils and care home staff - not because it’s what’s best for them. Branded by experts as “not fit for purpose” the only way to ensure the human rights of disabled people are respected is to change the bill currently going through parliament.

Crown Prince Mohammad, the second most powerful person in Saudi Arabia, is considering buying Manchester United. Right now, the Prince is coming under fire after a journalist who was critical of him "disappeared". The journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, went missing from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago. Saudi Arabia is currently denying any involvement but countries around the world are calling for an investigation. The Prince shouldn't be allowed to buy the club while there's such a serious allegation hanging over his head. Manchester United belongs to its fans and players. It is the most successful club in England’s history and has produced stars such as George Best and Ryan Giggs. It shouldn’t be owned by rich rulers who just want to use it to boost their reputation.

Mental Illness has more impact on children and young people than any other illness, according to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) burden of disease measure. Thanks to the Royals and others, the stigma of mental illness is diminishing but our investigation has found that it continues in the important area of mental health research. The best evidence suggests current research funding in the UK and Scotland is biased against mental illness. Please bring mental health research funding into line with its high cost to society and its burden of disease on us and our children. Miricyl SCIO We want to Create more Mental Illness Research in Children and Young Lives. Please join our campaign. Charity number SC047522

The recent successfully prosecuted fraud case where a Capita employee stole over £2million from Barnet Council underlines the urgent need for the Council to take back control of all of the former Council services from Capita. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-45641513 Barnet Council commissioned Grant Thornton (GT) to undertake a major review to identify how such a large scale fraud had been able to take place. This project, called Project Rose, was given a budget of “up to” £500,000 and has been on-going ever since. The review found: • Lack of budgetary controls • Not carrying out basic bank detail checks • Inexperienced managers responsible for large amounts of money • Lack of written financial procedures and checklists Barnet Council agreed to pay Capita £252.54 million But, Barnet Council have already paid Capita £352.41 million with FIVE more years to go! Barnet Council is in financial crisis with a budget overspend of £10.3 million this financial year and a funding gap of £66.8 million over the next three years. Frontline services such as street cleansing, waste and recycling, Libraries, social care are all facing more and more cuts that are already affecting Barnet residents. Capita Plc are in their own financial crisis. Their Share Price has dropped from £13 a share to under £1.50 a share in the space of the last two years. On 11 December 2018, Barnet Council Policy and Resources Committee will decide on whether to end both contracts. We are campaigning that they VOTE to end both contracts and begin the urgent process of taking back control of those services. End Details of the Grant Thornton Review on Capita https://www.barnet.gov.uk/citizen-home/council-and-democracy/finance-and-funding/Financial-controls.html Is this the end of Capita in Barnet - Grant Thornton's report is a devastating critique of Capita's dismal performance http://reasonablenewbarnet.blogspot.com/2018/09/is-this-end-of-capita-in-barnet-grant.html Project Rose: the devastating report Barnet Tories didn't want you to read http://wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.com/2018/09/project-rose-devastating-report-barnet.html Damning report slams Capita and financial management at Barnet Council http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2018/09/damning-report-slams-capita-and.html

Paul Ermitano, a highly respected cardiac physiologist and his wife Jamila, an experienced nurse, are Filipino citizens who gave up their careers overseas and came to Poole over 3 years ago to tackle staff shortages in our NHS. The Home Office are refusing to grant the family an extension on their visa stopping Paul carrying out the vital, life-saving heart scans that he is trained to do. They’ve been ordered to leave the country immediately. This decision has come about because they briefly accepted child benefit for their son. They've paid it back in full. The family have no means to support themselves financially and Jamila is due to give birth to their second child in 3 months time. Our new Health Secretary the Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP has put NHS workforce and efficiency at the top of his agenda. Therefore it defies common sense and decency that resources are being spent on ejecting these lovely and useful people. Home Secretary Sajid Javid should extend the stay of this family so they can safeguard the delivery of their unborn baby and continue their vital work for our NHS.

Stoke-on-Trent has the dubious distinction of being called the Monkey Dust capital of the U.K. A blite on the reputation and economy of Stoke-on-Trent. We the undersigned, are disgusted and ashamed that Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire Police, rather than tackling the supply and use of drugs and other street crimes, are focusing on the homeless and fining them £100. This proposal is not only sadistic but increases the pressure on the police, courts, probation services as well as council resources, during a time of peak demand and will do nothing to reduce genuine homelesses. We demand that as the Councillor responsible for Communities, you take immediate action to stop the persecution of the most vulnerable people in our city and drop plans to fine the genuinely homeless. This is the second year in a row that Stoke-on-Trent City Council has attempted to victimise the homeless and profit from their misfortune In a move so disgusting that Scrooge himself would be ashamed by it. Homelessness will not end by hiding the problem nor profiting from their misery but by acting with compassion, decency and vision. To be clear, we have no objection to the prosecution of criminals, who feign homelessness to take advantage of the public or aggressively beg for money, however, we seek an acceptance and protection for the genuine homeless.

Lancashire voted against allowing fracking in their county, and the government undemocratically over-ruled this. Fracking is well known to have a seriously destructive impact upon the environment. The freedom to make a peaceful protest is something to be proud of in this country, and with these sentences, the judiciary have violated that right. Only by over-ruling the sentence can this basic human right be restored.