A British-Australian university lecturer who is detained in Iran on accusations of spying went on hunger strike on Tuesday after she begged the Australian prime minister for freedom.
Prisoner Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who teaches at the University of Melbourne, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The personal plea, which was smuggled out of Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, begged Mr Morrison to do “whatever it takes” to secure her release. In the letter, Ms Moore-Gilbert also revealed that she was going on hunger strike.
Ms Moore-Gilbert has been in solitary confinement at Evin prison for the past 15 months. She has been denied contact with her family for nine months, apart from a three-minute call with her father, the Herald Sun reported.
The Islamic studies expert was detained after being invited to Iran as a guest speaker at a university conference. She was later arrested at the airport after checking in for her flight back to Australia. Ms Moore-Gilbert was then accused of spying and was convicted and sentenced for 10 years. She tried to appeal the ruling, but the attempt failed.
The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that Ms Moore-Gilbert had written two letters detailing her distress since being detained in the squalid prison last year.
“Please, I beg of you to do whatever it takes to get me out,” reads one letter to Mr Morrison, a devout Christian.
“I know that you’re a religious man and I ask that until that much-longed for freedom arrives, you remember me and my family in your prayers.”
“She’s been receiving consular assistance and had a visit recently,” Mr Morrison said on Tuesday in response to the letter.
“But I can assure you, and I know the extent that Kylie knows and we’re doing everything that we can do bring her home,” Mr Morrison said.
He said the Australian government was concerned for Ms Moore-Gilbert’s welfare.
Other foreign hostages have been detained in Evin prison, including British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Although her daughter returned to the UK earlier this year, the dual national remains behind bars. The British government has said that it is much harder for it to diplomatically secure the release of dual nationals, rather than those of single nationality.
Australian couple Jolie King and Mark Firkin were detained in Evin prison for three months but were allowed to return home in October after the charges against them were dropped.
Before they were arrested, they had been blogging about their two-year trip on Instagram and YouTube.
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Schedule:
Pakistan v Sri Lanka:
28 Sep-2 Oct, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi
6-10 Oct, 2nd Test (day-night), Dubai
13 Oct, 1st ODI, Dubai
16 Oct, 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi
18 Oct, 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi
20 Oct, 4th ODI, Sharjah
23 Oct, 5th ODI, Sharjah
26 Oct, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
27 Oct, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
29 Oct, 3rd T20I, Lahore
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Rest
(Because Music)
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Sugary teas and iced coffees
The tax authority is yet to release a list of the taxed products, but it appears likely that sugary iced teas and cold coffees will be hit.
For instance, the non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Cold coffee brands are likely to be hit too. Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Results
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if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
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