Britain’s new foreign secretary has been urged to revive a deal to free three UK citizens who are detained.
Liz Truss is due to meet her Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, at the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday to discuss the detention of Anoosheh Ashoori, a retired engineer, aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and conservationist Morad Tahbaz.
All three hold British and Iranian citizenship; Mr Tahbaz also has a US passport.
A deal to release them collapsed this summer, and Ms Truss’s predecessor Dominic Raab has spoken of his frustration that they had not been freed. The families believe the agreement is still on the table.
In a telephone call on Sunday, Mr Ashoori’s wife urged Ms Truss to continue to lobby Tehran.
Sherry Izadi, whose husband was jailed for 10 years on charges of spying for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, said the UK government told her in August it had come tantalisingly close to striking a deal. She did not specify the terms.
Had it succeeded, Mr Ashoori would have been released at the time of talks in Vienna aimed at bringing Iran and the US back into a 2015 nuclear accord. The talks in Austria were unsuccessful.
“I asked her [Truss]: ‘Will you still be pursuing that deal?' and she said ‘yes’,” Ms Izadi said.
“Today is our wedding anniversary, our 37th, and the fifth that we have missed. Hopefully, it will be the last one.”
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe, also spoke to Ms Truss on Sunday.
He had sent her department a list of 10 Iranians linked to what he called the “hostage-taking industry”, and said they should face sanctions.
His wife was detained in April 2016 after being convicted over security charges.
When her sentence ended, she was forbidden from leaving Iran and faced a new charge. She is on bail, and could be returned to prison if convicted.
Mr Ratcliffe and Ms Izadi believe the fate of their spouses is tied to an unpaid £400 million ($547.1m) debt the UK owes Iran.
Tehran had ordered tanks from Britain, but when the shah was overthrown in the 1979 revolution, they were not supplied to the new regime.
The prisoners’ families have urged the UK to end the financial stand-off, which continues to rumble through the courts.
They say it is a positive sign that Ms Truss has spoken to them within days of taking office after a government reshuffle.
Before she left the UK, Ms Truss said: “I will be asking Iran to ensure the immediate and permanent release of all arbitrarily detained British nationals in Iran, and to begin working with us to mend our fractured relations.
“The UK, US and our international partners are fully committed to a nuclear deal, but every day that Iran continues to delay talks whilst escalating its own nuclear programme means there is less space for diplomacy.”
Her Foreign Office colleague James Cleverly, the Middle East minister, said negotiating with the Iranian leadership was never easy.
“We will continue pushing and we will not rest until we get them all home,” he told Sky News. “She’s an incredibly focused and energetic minister – she’s well regarded for that – and I have no doubt that she will apply that energy to these negotiations.”
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
BLACKBERRY
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Profile
Company name: Marefa Digital
Based: Dubai Multi Commodities Centre
Number of employees: seven
Sector: e-learning
Funding stage: Pre-seed funding of Dh1.5m in 2017 and an initial seed round of Dh2m in 2019
Investors: Friends and family
The years Ramadan fell in May
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What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
