Author | Lightnews

Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 6h

The cost of 10-year “flawed” contracts with private companies who provide asylum accommodation has gone up from £4.5bn to £15.3bn. 32,000 asylum seekers are currently housed in 200 hotels. Report finds Home Office has failed to manage these contracts or impose penalty clauses.

Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 7h

Who is profiting from asylum hotels? New report finds private contractors have made “excessive” profits out of asylum accommodation at the taxpayers’ expense. Home Office being charged £145 per migrant per night in a hotel, compared to £23 in a rented house.

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 9h

Another woman in her 20s has been raped in what West Midlands Police have called a racially aggravated attack.
She was attacked at a property in Walsall by a man she did not know; www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Suspect video released after 'racially aggravated' Walsall rape

Police say the woman was attacked on Saturday night in Walsall and have appealed for information.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 20h

BREAKING: Hadush Kebatu, who was released in error from Chelmsford Prison on Friday morning, has been arrested. He was found in the Finsbury Park area of London this morning.

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 1d

Met Police say wrongly-released sex offender Hadush Kebatu was last seen shortly before 8pm on Friday in the Dalston area of Hackney

He was still in his prison-issue tracksuit, but is now carrying his belongings in a distinctive white bag with avocado pictures on it.

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 4d

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 5d

Irish police have come under attack at a protest outside the Citywest hotel used to house asylum seekers in Dublin:

trib.al/JCjstEd

Police van set alight at Citywest protest in Dublin

Chants of "get them out" are echoing through the crowd.

trib.al

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 6d

Happy Diwali to everyone celebrating 🪔 Lovely to see houses decorated with Rangoli to welcome the Goddess Lakshmi, to symbolise the victory of good over evil, and to attract positive energy and prosperity.

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 7d

“The Board of Deputies of British Jews says you're a thug, that you represent the worst of Britain?”
“Who voted for them to represent British Jews?”
When @lindseyhilsum.bsky.social met Tommy Robinson, guest of the Israeli government at his big rally in Tel Aviv:
www.channel4.com/news/israel-...

Israel government hosts far-right activist Tommy Robinson

Far-right British agitator and guest of the Israeli government, Tommy Robinson, prepared for his big rally in Tel Aviv.

www.channel4.com

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 20d

Sad to hear of the death of Dame Jilly Cooper. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the BAFTAs this year and we had a good giggle when I told her I used to get her books from the library growing up and the naughty bits would always have the pages folded over! R.I.P 🩷

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 23d

Coming up on #c4news, we’ll have the latest on the Manchester synagogue attacker, 35-year-old British citizen Jihad Al-Shamie, who was on bail for an alleged rape at the time of his murderous assualt.

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 23d

The Manchester synagogue terrorist Jihad al-Shamie was reportedly on police bail for an alleged rape when he carried out the attack; www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Manchester synagogue terrorist was on bail for alleged rape

Exclusive: Jihad al-Shamie had been due to appear in court over alleged sexual attack earlier this year, sources say

www.theguardian.com

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 23d

BREAKING: “We fully distance ourselves from this attack”
A statement has been released by the Manchester attacker's father, on behalf of the Al-Shamie family.

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · 23d

Two victims of the Manchester synagogue attack have been named by police.
Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died in the attack in Crumpsall.
GMP: "We commit to being mindful of cultural preferences and sensitivities, ensuring these men and their loved ones’ wishes are respected."

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · Sep 17

A nine-year-old girl has been shot three times with an airgun, in what is being treated as a racially aggravated assault in Bristol. Avon & Somerset Police say a racial comment was made during incident, the girl has been left traumatised and too frightened to leave home #c4news

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · Sep 11

A culture warrior before her time, Mary Whitehouse claimed to be an ordinary woman who represented the little people against the establishment - what are the parallels with the protests and politics of today? My interview with Maxine Peake and @carolinebirduk.bsky.social on c4news at 7pm:

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · Sep 6

Yes. Defo a mix of some people inspired by Angela Rayner but also some disappointed

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · Sep 1

The government plans to "completely overhaul" the asylum appeals system, but we didn’t get much detail today.
Many asylum seekers in hotels are waiting on appeals. I went to meet one man stuck in the system for years, on his third appeal; #c4news www.channel4.com/news/huge-as...

Huge asylum appeals backlog still major issue for government

The Government has pledged to tackle what's called 'irregular migration', people who arrive in the UK illegally or without permission.

www.channel4.com

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · Aug 28

“What you’re seeing here is probably a microcosm of how it will be across the UK if Nigel Farage becomes PM - this kind of shutting down of questioning.”
Nottinghamshire county council’s Reform leader says it will no longer deal with the local paper: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Reform council’s Nottingham Post ban a ‘massive attack on local democracy’

Nottinghamshire council’s administration says it will no longer deal with local paper, in unprecedented move

www.theguardian.com

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · Aug 23

Great picture!

Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · Aug 23

A picturesque #parkrun in Porthcawl 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Lovely route along the promenade. Learnt a fascinating bit of history, civil rights activist Paul Robeson performed for Welsh miners here in 1957 - via a transatlantic telephone, as the U.S. government had confiscated his passport ☎️ 🎤

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · Aug 22

IPC has announced that for the first time famine has been officially confirmed in Gaza City.
Large part of the population is facing starvation or extreme levels of hunger.
A large number of people are dying from hunger and diseases.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ck...

Famine confirmed in Gaza City for first time, UN-backed report says - live updates

The IPC says "catastrophic conditions" are projected to expand to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · Aug 19

As we reported yesterday, Israel is demanding the release of all 50 hostages, casting doubt on whether it’ll accept the 60-day ceasefire plan Hamas has agreed to.
Meanwhile, more than 62,000 people now been killed in Gaza, according to its health ministry www.channel4.com/news/hamas-a...

Hamas accepts ceasefire plan as Israel pushes forward with Gaza City assault

Hamas has agreed to an Egyptian and Qatari proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, which will see Palestinian prisoners released in return for half the Israeli hostages.

www.channel4.com

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · Aug 19

Yes, well spotted! We’ve all been covering over the Summer

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Darshna Soni @darshna.bsky.social · Aug 19

One question now is where will the asylum seekers from the Epping hotel be moved to, and will other councils use this ruling to follow suit?

Court rules asylum seekers must be moved from hotel www.bbc.com/news/article...

Epping council wins bid to stop Bell Hotel housing asylum seekers

The High Court ruling follows a summer of protests and arrests outside the hotel in Epping.

www.bbc.com

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