Iranian Armita Gravand, 16, who has been in a coma since Sunday after what was reported as an assault by Iran's so-called morality police, is under "strict security measures" at Fajr Airforce Hospital, a human rights group told The National.
Ms Gravand, originally from the Kurdish city of Kermanshah in western Iran, was living in the capital Tehran when the incident took place.
"She was physically attacked by authorities in Shohada metro station for what police perceived as non-compliance with the compulsory hijab," the Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights said.
"As a result, she sustained severe injuries and was transported to hospital."
Iran's government has denied she was attacked and said Ms Gravand fainted due to low blood pressure.
It made similar claims in September 2022 when Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini died as a result of injuries believed to be sustained while she was in police custody over her dress code.
Her death sparked protests nationwide and beyond calling for the regime to be toppled.
"During the past two days, there has been no news from Armita Gravand's family," Haibat Mohammadi, of Hengaw, told The National.
"The family are under very high pressure by government officials and have been threatened against speaking to anyone, including the media, except those affiliated with the government.
"Close relatives in the hospital have had their mobile phones confiscated after a photo of Armita was leaked to the public."
Shortly after the photo was circulated on social media, Iranian authorities made Ms Gravand's parents "sit in front of state TV cameras and repeat what was dictated to them", reiterating government claims made about the reasons she ended up in a coma, Mr Mohammadi said.
"But as you can see in the picture of Armita, her head is wrapped. What do the bandages around her have to do with low blood pressure?"
"She remains in a critical condition," he added.
Hengaw has called for an "independent medical team" from Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee of the Red Cross in Tehran to independently examine Ms Gravand in the presence of a UN team, given what it called Iran's "history of withholding the truth and ongoing denial of crimes", it said, referring to Ms Amini's case.
The US has also expressed "shock and concern" over her case.
We are following news of her condition. We continue to stand with the brave people of Iran and work with the world to hold the regime accountable for its abuses," said Deputy Special Envoy for Iran Abram Paley.
Mr Paley also hit out at Tehran over the arrest of a journalist at the hospital where Ms Gravand is being treated, describing it as an "affront to journalism."
"The Iranian regime should spend more time worrying about how it treats its own people rather than how the media covers its abuses."
Speaking to The National, head of Iran studies at the Emirates Policy Centre (EPC), Mohamad Al Zghool, said while it was unclear whether Ms Gravand's case would spark a fresh round of protests, the momentum since Ms Amini's death has been ongoing.
Iranians had expected the regime would take measures to quell the public anger but instead, the government has tightened laws and heightened executions and arrests of the opposition, Mr Zghool said.
Earlier this year, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged that tens of thousands of people have been detained in crackdowns on protesters in recent months. Human Rights Activists in Iran, which has been tracking the demonstrations, said at least 527 people have been killed by Iranian authorities.
Other groups have criticised the regime for "sham" trials resulting in execution of political prisoners.
"Perhaps one of the most prominent features of the past decade in contemporary Iranian history is the transformation of protests from a phenomenon that repeats every decade to an annual [wave of protests] that even the Iranian regime expects every year," Mr Zghool said.
"This transformation has plunged Iranians into a continuous state of social discontent stimulated by repeated and ongoing causes, which move Iranian society and by the nature of the behaviour displayed by institutions in the face of these protests."
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SERIES INFO
Schedule:
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
1st ODI, Wed Apr 10
2nd ODI, Fri Apr 12
3rd ODI, Sun Apr 14
4th ODI, Sun Apr 16
UAE squad
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Zimbabwe squad
Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
More coverage from the Future Forum
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
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
'Nope'
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Pathaan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Siddharth%20Anand%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Deepika%20Padukone%2C%20John%20Abraham%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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You may remember …
Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.
Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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