'Completely happy'

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [The Independent]( August 24, 2023 [View online](   [Morning Headlines]( 1 /[At last! Hero Afghan pilot who fought Taliban is granted asylum in Britain]( The hero [Afghan]( pilot who served alongside British forces and was threatened with deportation to [Rwanda]( has finally been granted asylum in the UK after a five-month-long campaign by [The Independent](. [The air force lieutenant](, who fled the [Taliban]( and came to the UK on a small boat because it was [“impossible” to get here via a legal route](, was previously rejected under the government’s Afghan resettlement scheme – [sparking fury from top politicians and military figures](, who called it “shameful” that Britain should turn its back on the war hero. But in a dramatic turn of events, the Home Office has now accepted that he has a “well-founded fear of persecution and therefore cannot return to [his] country of origin”.   2 /[Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘killed’ in plane crash with no survivors]( Russia’s civil aviation agency says the head of the private military company – and co-founder Dmitry Utkin – among the seven passengers and three crew killed in the crash 3 /[GCSE pupils warned of 325,000 fewer passing grades after return to pre-Covid grading]( Pass rate expected to be closer to 2019 levels after ‘great reset’ following rise during Covid lockdowns /[First images as Indian rover begins exploring charted lunar south pole]( Rover’s wheels also designed to leave imprints of India’s national emblem on the Moon’s surface 5 /[Change in weather comes as low pressure is set to dominate conditions in next few days]( Low pressure is set to dominate conditions in next few days THE BIG QUESTION [Was Logan Paul right to walk out of Oppenheimer?]( The YouTuber and boxer risked the wrath of cinephiles when he admitted walking out halfway through Christopher Nolan’s latest film. It’s easy to judge him for it, writes [Louis Chilton](, but maybe he’s onto something... [Read the story in full here]( Enjoy a year of unlimited digital access for just £99 £20 ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   Watch / [‘India is on the moon’: Watch India’s Chandrayaan-3 land on moon in historic space feat]( NUMBER OF THE DAY £2.4m – Former [NatWest]( boss Dame [Alison Rose]( is set to [receive a £2.4 million pay package]( after she resigned over her actions surrounding an inaccurate story about [Nigel Farage](’s account. [Read the full article here]( QUOTE OF THE DAY “A renewed contraction of the economy already looks inevitable.” – Economists have warned of a “heightened” risk of recession after new figures revealed that UK businesses suffered an unexpectedly sharp downturn during August. [Read more here](   OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE //link.e.independent.co.uk/click/32492878.344834/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlLWluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvbS9uZXdzL3dvcmxkL2FtZXJpY2FzL3VzLXBvbGl0aWNzL3RydW1wLW1hcmFsYWdvLWRvY3VtZW50cy15dXNjaWwtdGF2ZXJhcy1iMjM5NzY3MC5odG1s/64c10d26314b145aeb06720bB1b222f5a[Republicans tear into Ramaswamy as Trump absence looms over combative first debate](//link.e.independent.co.uk/click/32492878.344834/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5kZXBlbmRlbnQuY28udWsvY2xpbWF0ZS1jaGFuZ2UvbmV3cy9zdG9ybS1oaWxhcnktaHVycmljYW5lLXdhc2hpbmd0b24td2lsZGZpcmUtYjIzOTY4OTIuaHRtbA/64c10d26314b145aeb06720bC06817ff6 Recession fears grow as UK business activity shrinks]( [Megan Rapinoe condemns culture of misogyny in Spanish football](   Articles available exclusively to subscribers Tom Peck - [Why tax cuts are still off Jeremy Hunt’s agenda](   OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE [The Race Report]( The Race Report Fortnightly Written by Nadine White [Join now]( [The View from Westminster ]( The View from Westminster Every weekday Written by John Rentoul [Join now](   The Independent proudly partners with [Refuge]( and the [National Domestic Abuse Helpline](: 0808 2000 247 If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Download the free Independent app Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.