Iran could postpone the death sentence of Iranian-Swedish academic Ahmadreza Djalali, which had been widely expected this week, after an appeal by his lawyers, its Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
Iranian media said Mr Djalali was due to be executed by May 21 for allegedly passing information to Israel but the judiciary is considering a delay, ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.
Mr Djalali’s family and supporters held demonstrations on Saturday to call for his release. His 10-year-old son took part, carrying a placard that read: “Free My Dad”.
Mr Djalali was arrested in April 2016 and convicted the following year of passing information to Israel's Mossad spy agency about two Iranian nuclear scientists that led to their assassinations. He was sentenced to death.
But the United Nations said he should be freed and receive compensation, after an unfair trial using a confession obtained through torture.
"Mr Djalali's sentence is definite, as the judiciary had announced," said Mr Khatibzadeh. "They [his lawyers] have requested that the execution be done at another time.
"It is being considered ... the judiciary will naturally follow up on the case."
UN envoy Enrique Mora called for his release last week on humanitarian grounds as he visited the country to help revive the 2015 nuclear pact.
"I want to underline that in Tehran I raised the need to stop the execution of #AhmadrezaDjalali and asked for his release on humanitarian grounds," Mr Mora tweeted after the two-day visit which ended on Friday.
Mr Djalali, who had lived in Stockholm and worked at the Karolinska Medical Institute, received Swedish citizenship while in detention in February 2018.
The latest threat of imminent execution coincided with the end of a trial in Sweden of Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian regime official who is accused of involvement in the state-backed killing of thousands of opposition activists in Iranian prisons in 1988. A verdict is expected in July.
Iran had previously threatened to execute Mr Djalali in 2020, as a Belgian court was considering verdicts in the case of Assadollah Assadi, an Iranian spymaster, who was accused of plotting to blow up a dissidents’ rally in France. The threat of immediate execution was lifted, even after Assadi was convicted and jailed for 20 years.
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Results
Stage 5:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Jumbo-Visma 04:19:08
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:03
3. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Sergio Higuita (COL) EF Education-Nippo 00:00:05
5. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:06
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 17:09:26
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers 00:00:45
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:01:12
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma 00:01:54
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo 00:01:56
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
The Freedom Artist
By Ben Okri (Head of Zeus)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Zayed Sustainability Prize
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Blah
Started: 2018
Founder: Aliyah Al Abbar and Hend Al Marri
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and talent management
Initial investment: Dh20,000
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 40
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