Scores of hardline Iranian university students gathered outside the fortress-like British embassy in Tehran last night to condemn Britain's "savage" suppression of a "popular uprising" against the "dictatorial royal regime of England".
Police were on hand to ensure the carefully choreographed, state-sponsored protest did not turn violent. "Death to the corrupt British monarchy", one placard trumpeted. "Royal wedding equals economic austerity," proclaimed another.
Tehran has gleefully seized on the unprecedented turmoil that convulsed Britain last week to make propaganda against London, which has rankled the Islamic republic by being a leading critic of its abysmal human-rights record.
Despite their supposed horror at the mayhem in British cities, jubilant Iranian officials made clear they have no desire to see it end.
The head of Iran's Basij street militia, Brigadier Mohammad Reza Naghdi, cheerfully predicted on Saturday that the "popular awakening" in Britain was "just the beginning" and would spread to the heart of Europe.
And a senior parliamentarian, Parviz Sorouri, opined that "the world is now coming to the conclusion that Western civilisation has no foundation and is unreal".
In the past week, Iran's authoritarian regime has teasingly offered to send human-rights observers to Britain and, even more bizarrely, to deploy male and female units of its feared Basij militia on the streets of London, Liverpool and Birmingham.
Mr Naghdi said his forces could serve as a peacekeeping buffer between "the deprived people" and "the oppressive royal regime".
The Basij, which operates under the aegis of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, spearheaded the brutal crackdown against the peaceful, mass pro-democracy protests that erupted after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's fiercely disputed re-election in 2009.
The Iranian regime has frequently used the "colonial old fox" Britain as a whipping boy to divert attention from its own problems. The British embassy, an oasis of green in the dusty heart of the Iranian capital, has weathered many hostile demonstrations in recent years. The mission is usually staffed by about 20 British nationals, although several are likely to be abroad on summer holidays.
Mr Ahmadinejad last week condemned the "savage crackdown" by British police on rampaging youths whom he portrayed as peaceful protesters.
He advised politicians in London to "hear the voice of the people and grant them freedoms" and urged the UN Security Council to take immediate action against London.
Parliamentarians and conservative newspapers in Tehran have variously blamed the turmoil in Britain on human-rights violations, "chronic
injustice", racism, social deprivation and the rise of student tuition fees.
London's response to the self-serving hue and cry in Tehran has been both wry and robust.
Britain's top diplomat in Tehran said on Thursday that London was happy to discuss its handling of the street unrest. But Jane Marriott, Britain's charge d'affaires, hoped that Iran would reciprocate by allowing a visit by a special UN rapporteur to investigate the "international community's grave concerns about ongoing human-rights violations within Iran". Tehran has steadfastly refused to do so.
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
'O'
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Champions League last 16, first leg
Tottenham v RB Leipzig, Wednesday, midnight (UAE)
England's Ashes squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ready Player One
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance
The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte
Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000
Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm
Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm
Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
RESULTS
Main card
Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision
Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision
Lightweight 60kg: Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision
Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round