Iran jails couple in viral dancing video: Activists

Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi were arrested in early November after a video went viral of them dancing romantically in front of the Azadi Tower in Tehran. (Twitter)
Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi were arrested in early November after a video went viral of them dancing romantically in front of the Azadi Tower in Tehran. (Twitter)
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Updated 01 February 2023

Iran jails couple in viral dancing video: Activists

Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi were arrested in early November. (Twitter)
  • A revolutionary court in Tehran sentenced them each to 10 years and six months in prison
  • HRANA cited sources close to their families as saying they had been deprived of lawyers during the court proceedings

PARIS: An Iranian court has handed jail sentences of over 10 years each to a young couple who danced in front of one of Tehran’s main landmarks in a video seen as a symbol of defiance against the regime, activists said on Tuesday.
Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, both in their early 20s, had been arrested in early November after a video went viral of them dancing romantically in front of the Azadi Tower in Tehran.
Haghighi did not wear a headscarf in defiance of the Islamic republic’s strict rules for women, while women are also not allowed to dance in public in Iran, let alone with a man.


A revolutionary court in Tehran sentenced them each to 10 years and six months in prison, as well as bans on using the Internet and leaving Iran, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.
The couple, who already had a following in Tehran as popular Instagram bloggers, were convicted of “encouraging corruption and public prostitution” as well as “gathering with the intention of disrupting national security,” it added.
HRANA cited sources close to their families as saying they had been deprived of lawyers during the court proceedings while attempts to secure their release on bail have been rejected.
It said Haghighi is now in the notorious Qarchak prison for women outside Tehran, whose conditions are regularly condemned by activists.
Iranian authorities have clamped down severely on all forms of dissent since the death in September of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the headscarf rules, sparked protests that have turned into a movement against the regime.


At least 14,000 people have been arrested, according to the United Nations, ranging from prominent celebrities, journalists and lawyers to ordinary people who took to the streets.
The couple’s video had been hailed as a symbol of the freedoms demanded by the protest movement, with Ahmadi at one moment lifting his partner in the air as her long hair flowed behind.
One of the main icons of the Iranian capital, the gigantic and futuristic Azadi (Freedom) Tower is a place of huge sensitivity.
It opened under the rule of the last shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the early 1970s when it was known as the Shahyad (In Memory of the Shah) Tower.
It was renamed after the shah was ousted in 1979 with the creation of the Islamic republic. Its architect, a member of the Bahai faith which is not recognized in today’s Iran, now lives in exile.


UAE Food Bank launches initiative to distribute 3m meals, achieve zero food waste in Ramadan

UAE Food Bank launches initiative to distribute 3m meals, achieve zero food waste in Ramadan
Updated 7 sec ago

UAE Food Bank launches initiative to distribute 3m meals, achieve zero food waste in Ramadan

UAE Food Bank launches initiative to distribute 3m meals, achieve zero food waste in Ramadan
  • Bank highlights its commitment to humanitarian message of serving the needy during holy month
  • Initiatives aim to promote social responsibility and volunteering among community members

DUBAI: The UAE Food Bank has launched initiatives to provide 3 million meals and food parcels to disadvantaged people in the UAE and abroad during Ramadan, the Emirates’ News Agency reported on Wednesday.
Besides distributing the donated meals, the initiatives are aimed at managing food surplus, reducing waste, and providing sustenance to those in need, both within and beyond the UAE.
In affiliation with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Global Initiatives and in collaboration with various partners, the UAE Food Bank announced the initiatives for the holy month under the directives of its chairperson Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum.
The organization also seeks to raise public awareness regarding the crucial goal of achieving zero food waste.
Deputy chairperson Dawoud Al-Hajjri emphasised the organization’s commitment to its humanitarian message of serving the needy.
“Through its diverse initiatives, the UAE Food Bank aims to promote these values globally, in accordance with its vision and mission of managing food surplus, reducing waste, and delivering food to beneficiaries locally and worldwide,” Al-Hajjri said.
The initiatives will foster social responsibility and collaboration between the bank, its partners, and members of society.
“The projects’ ultimate goals are to provide food to as many people in need as possible, while minimizing waste, reflecting the bank’s mission to manage food surplus and ensure its delivery to beneficiaries, locally and globally,” said Al-Hajjri.
Manal bin Yaarouf, chairperson of the steering committee, outlined the bank’s plans for Ramadan, highlighting the critical role of cooperation between all food enterprises.
“The bank will work with these partners to gather 3 million meals, which will be transported to the bank and then sent outside the UAE in collaboration with the Emirates Red Crescent. Hotels and iftar tents will also play a vital role in collecting any surplus food, and authorities will work together to identify the optimal time and location to deliver this food to the bank and charitable organizations,” said bin Yaarouf.
She also emphasised the crucial role of engagement with the private sector, highlighting the bank’s plans to strengthen its collaboration with recycling businesses that convert food unfit for human consumption into oils and agricultural fertilizers to support sustainability and protect the environment.
Bin Yaarouf said the bank also launched the “Your harees on us” initiative in collaboration with Dubai’s Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department to promote social responsibility and volunteering among community members.
“The initiative encourages restaurants to reserve at least one portion of harees, a traditional Emirati dish, and distribute it to iftar tents. This initiative aims to foster the values of giving and generosity,” she said.


Attack on hospital: Israel’s Ramadan gift to Palestinians

Attack on hospital: Israel’s Ramadan gift to Palestinians
Updated 7 min 47 sec ago

Attack on hospital: Israel’s Ramadan gift to Palestinians

Attack on hospital: Israel’s Ramadan gift to Palestinians
  • Palestinian Health Minister called on human rights institutions and the International Committee of the Red Cross to act urgently against Israel’s increasing attacks
  • Israeli forces intensively lobbed tear gas shells toward a hospital in Ramallah, affecting dozens of patients, including newborns in incubators

RAMALLAH: As the Muslim world was celebrating the advent of Ramadan on Wednesday, the Israeli army launched a massive campaign of incursions into the occupied West Bank and arrested 28 Palestinians.
Earlier in the day, Israeli forces intensively lobbed tear gas shells toward a hospital in Ramallah, affecting dozens of patients, including newborns in incubators, and medical personnel. Several patients complained of acute chest pain.
Palestinian Health Minister Mai Al-Kaila called on human rights institutions and the International Committee of the Red Cross to act urgently against Israel’s increasing attacks on health centers, patients and ambulance personnel.
The ministry said in a statement: “Since the beginning of this year, dozens of cases of direct deliberate assault on treatment centers in various governorates have been documented.”
Ambulances were targeted and crews were prevented from reaching and treating the wounded, which led to the injury of dozens of patients inside treatment centers and during their transfers between cities and medical centers, it added.
The mother of a sick child said: “We did not sleep all night because of the heavy toxic gas fired by the occupation forces toward the hospital. My son is still suffering from its effects. Its smell is still lingering in the patients’ wards, obstructing the work of the nurses.”
One of the patients said: “The smell of gas woke me up and I felt shortness of breath and pain in my chest.”
Eyewitnesses reported that the most affected areas were the cardiac surgery, resuscitation and children’s departments.
Meanwhile, 2,000 prisoners will go on a hunger strike on Thursday, the first day of the fasting month, in protest against the repressive measures announced by Israel at the recommendation of its Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Prison authorities have threatened to take punitive measures against prisoners who intend to start a general strike coinciding with Ramadan.
“The orders of the prison administration will discipline the prisoners on hunger strike. The prison administration will not tolerate disturbances and disciplinary violations and will work professionally and resolutely against any threat,” a statement said.
Since Feb. 14, prisoners have been protesting after the prison administration announced the implementation of harsh measures — including rationing water, reducing shower times, keeping bathrooms locked and providing stale bread for prisoners to eat — at the behest of Ben-Gvir.
In some prisons, the administration doubled crackdowns using stun grenades and sniffer dogs.
Prisoners have carried out over 26 coordinated strikes since 1970, through which they succeeded in changing their conditions in detention.
As of the end of January, the number of prisoners in the occupation’s prisons reached 4,780, including 29 female prisoners and 160 children.
The Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee Secretary-General Hussein Al-Sheikh called on the Israeli government to stop its harassment of and escalatory measures against prisoners amid brutal living conditions that defy international conventions.
In a tweet, Al-Sheikh called on international bodies to intervene immediately.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, said the systematic Israeli escalation “against our heroic prisoners, led by the fascist extremist Ben-Gvir, will have serious repercussions.”
Rudeineh added that the international community, including the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council, “must immediately intervene and stop these crimes against our prisoners before it’s too late.”
He said President Mahmoud Abbas was in constant contact with all relevant international parties to stop the Israeli attacks against Palestinian prisoners and people.
The spokesman added that the “extremist Israeli government is trying, through this deliberate escalation, to thwart all international efforts to reduce tension.”
A meeting was held late on Wednesday between representatives of the prisoners and the prison administration in a final attempt to reach an agreement in order to avoid an open-ended hunger strike from the first day of Ramadan. At the time of publication, it is still unclear whether an accord was reached.


Israeli drone falls in Syria during routine activity, Israeli military says

Israeli drone falls in Syria during routine activity, Israeli military says
Updated 38 min 14 sec ago

Israeli drone falls in Syria during routine activity, Israeli military says

Israeli drone falls in Syria during routine activity, Israeli military says
  • A military statement said there had been no breach of information

JERUSALEM: An Israeli drone fell in Syria on Wednesday during routine activity, the Israeli military said.
A military statement said there had been no breach of information and the incident was under investigation. It did not provide further details.


British MPs call for stronger UAE ties, trade deal

British MPs call for stronger UAE ties, trade deal
Updated 22 March 2023

British MPs call for stronger UAE ties, trade deal

British MPs call for stronger UAE ties, trade deal
  • Parliamentary delegation visited Gulf state last month
  • Bilateral relations ‘are good and strong, but the UK is guilty of taking that for granted’

LONDON: Britain must stop taking its relationship with the UAE for granted and become more proactive in fostering stronger ties, according to a parliamentary delegation that visited the Gulf state last month.

Speaking on Wednesday at an event reflecting on the visit and hosted by The Emirates Society, former UK MP and lifetime peer John Woodcock said the UAE has “seized” its opportunity to be a more collaborative player on the world stage.

“The UAE has shown that it wants to participate in addressing the major concerns facing the world today, as evidenced by its decision to host this year’s COP28,” he added.

“It’s absolutely incumbent on the UK government to lean into this and embrace the UAE’s desire for change and collaboration.

“Our trip evidenced their commitment to this, showing a consensus of opinion going beyond the West’s when it came to addressing the environment.”

Woodcock said it is not only the issue of climate change that the UK can learn from, but the general sense of collaboration sought and offered by the UAE in its international relations.

Noting that the “days of the British Empire” are long past, he added that the UK has to show greater determination in wanting to build partnerships with other countries, rather than relying on its past. The UK, he said, must “fight for its place at the table.”

Steve McCabe, an MP with Britain’s main opposition Labour Party who was also on the trip, said: “Relations between the UK and UAE are good and strong, but the UK is guilty of taking that for granted.

“The level of understanding from parliamentarians on the UAE is so, so low, so our outreach is vital.

“We need to become more proactive as there are immense opportunities for the UK if it burnishes its relationship with the UAE.”

McCabe and Woodcock said there exists cross-party support for improving ties to the UAE. This, Woodcock said, is “unsurprising given the shared goals on climate, trade and other things.”

But McCabe said what is holding improvements back is the absence of “high-level contact,” adding that there is one thing the British government has to prioritize. “The UK needs to … crack on with pursuing a bilateral trade deal with the UAE,” he stressed.

“This is the message that will shift things. It will step us beyond the old conventional way of thinking.

“The focus initially will be on trade, but at some stage it will move beyond this and will show we too are seeking a collaborator.”

Questioned on how the trade deal would look, both McCabe and Woodcock said they had not been able “to get into its guts,” and the UAE first needs proof of a fully engaged partner.  

Woodcock was, however, able to state that both parties would be looking for a more “granular” — or comprehensive — deal, and that once the UK has shown sincerity in its decision to pursue an agreement, the Emiratis would get it done quickly.


Jordanian MPs vote to expel Israeli envoy in Amman over Palestine denial speech

Jordanian MPs vote to expel Israeli envoy in Amman over Palestine denial speech
Updated 22 March 2023

Jordanian MPs vote to expel Israeli envoy in Amman over Palestine denial speech

Jordanian MPs vote to expel Israeli envoy in Amman over Palestine denial speech
  • Bezalel Smotrich dismissed existence of Palestinian people, used map of Israel including occupied West Bank, Gaza, Jordan
  • Finance minister’s behavior reflected ‘Israeli arrogance, disrespect of international treaties, conventions’: Jordan MPs

AMMAN: The Jordanian Parliament’s Lower House has voted to expel Israel’s ambassador in Amman in protest over Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s reference to a map of Israel that included the occupied West Bank, Gaza, and Jordan.

During a speech in Paris on Sunday, Smotrich claimed the notion of a Palestinian people was artificial.

He said: “There is no such thing as a Palestinian nation. There is no Palestinian history. There is no Palestinian language.”

The minister was speaking at a memorial event for a French Israeli right-wing activist who had denied the existence of a Palestinian nation and advocated annexation of the West Bank.

During the Jordan Parliament session on Wednesday, MPs described Smotrich’s words as reflecting “an Israeli arrogance and disrespect of international treaties and conventions,” the Jordan News Agency reported.

Lower House speaker, Ahmed Safadi, called on Jordan’s government to take proactive measures against Smotrich’s statements and behavior.