A theatre group that dramatised the life of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe will count down to her scheduled release date with readings of her letters and poems written from inside Evin prison.
The 10-day countdown starts with a reading of the first letter she sent from prison to her daughter Gabriella, who Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe calls Gisou.
The poignant letter was written in January 2017 and looks forward to the day she is released.
“There will come a day when I will learn if strawberries and blueberries are still your favourite fruit, if orange is still your favourite colour. Maybe they are no longer,” she wrote.
The letter is to be read by Elena Carys Thomas, the actress who recently played Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe in a touring stage play.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual citizen, was arrested as she prepared to leave Iran with her daughter in April 2016 after visiting her parents in Tehran.
She was jailed for five years on espionage charges and the regime resisted diplomatic and personal appeals for her freedom.
Her family maintain she is being held as a pawn in a broader diplomatic battle between the UK and Iran, in a continuing dispute over a £400 million ($558m) arms deal debt owed by Britain that dates back to the 1970s.
The daily videos will also feature actresses including Emma Thompson and Olivia Colman in the run-up to her scheduled release date of March 7. The project will include readings of letters and poems by past and present political prisoners held in Iran.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 43, is currently out of prison and living under house arrest at her parents' home. She has to wear an electronic tag to ensure she does not leave the country.
Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, expressed concerns that she will not be allowed to leave the country at the conclusion of her sentence.
Emi Howell of Howell Productions, which staged Nazanin's Story and is organising the daily Twitter countdown, said they prepared different videos for the final day, depending on whether Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe is allowed to return home.
“This will be released on March 8, International Women’s Day, in the hope we will be celebrating Nazanin’s safe return home or to raise awareness of her imprisonment going beyond her sentence,” Ms Howell said.
“Nazanin’s detention and sentence are unjust. She has been tortured and abused and should never have been seized at the airport in the first place.”
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
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Reddit
A discussion website
Redditor
The users of Reddit
Robinhood
A smartphone app for buying and selling shares
Short seller
Selling a stock today in the belief its price will fall in the future
Short squeeze
Traders forced to buy a stock they are shorting
Naked short
An illegal practice
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday
Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm kick-off UAE)
Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Cologne (5.30pm)
Mainz v Arminia Bielefeld (5.30pm)
Augsburg v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich (8.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Freiburg (10.30pm)
Sunday
VfB Stuttgart v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v Hertha Berlin (8pm)
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
