It took the Iranian regime just three weeks to murder more than 1,000 protesters, including children, and arrest 7,000 more, according to Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran. In the south-western city of Mahshahr alone, Mr Hook said he had video footage proving that at least 100 Iranians were killed at the hands of the very security forces that are supposed to protect them.
These figures are all the more worrying as they are impossible to verify. Amnesty International estimates that more than 200 Iranians have been killed since the start of demonstrations last month, while The New York Times believes that as many as 450 people have perished in the clampdown. Not only has the state turned its arms against its own people, it has done all that is in its power to muffle civilian voices, and keep them from resounding across the world. The government has resorted to draconian measures such as cutting off internet service in a country of 80 million people an attempt to stop the spread of information about protesters, their demands and the brutality with which they have been met. As a result, the demonstrators have gone largely under the radar and little is known of the scale of the damage inflicted on the people.
Read More about the Iran protests
Authorities have blamed the violence on thugs and rioters sponsored by the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia. These conspiracy theories have failed to convince anyone, when all evidence shows that, on the contrary, it is the Iranian people who are rising up against their leaders.
People started taking to the streets on November 15 to protest against a hike in fuel prices, which spiralled into a movement demanding political change. Demonstrators chanted “Death to the dictator” while other slogans urged authorities to stop investing in militant groups abroad and focus on improving the living standards of their own people.
The Iranian economy is reeling under sanctions since Donald Trump, the US president, last year unilaterally opted out of the flawed nuclear deal that had been signed in 2015. The weight of the sanctions have taken a toll on the country’s middle-class and poor as the regime refuses to return to the negotiating table to discuss a solution. The Iranian people are the first to pay for this failure in diplomacy and are understandably angered that a nation with immense oil and gas wealth is unable to provide for their most basic needs.
The regime has already helped oppress protests in neighbouring Iraq before cracking down on its home-grown protest movement. One day after protests erupted in Iraq, Qassem Soleimani of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps met with top Iraqi security officials in Baghdad.
The regime will spare no afterthought for the lives lost in Iraq and Iran
The day after his visit, more than 100 people were killed at the hands of security forces and Iran-backed militias operating in the country. Violence has yet to subside as nearly 500 Iraqis have been killed since the onset of the protests in October. It is no surprise that the Iranian regime would replicate the crackdown it initiated in Iraq, unleashing untold violence on its people.
But in the age of the internet and social media, the regime can no longer hide its crimes from the world. Its leaders speak of spearheading noble causes, such as resisting oppression in Lebanon, freeing Iraq of ISIS and liberating Palestine, but now the truth has come out. This rhetoric has only ever been a web of lies to justify its dominance over fragile neighbouring states and hold on to power at home. The regime will spare no afterthought for the lives lost in Iraq and Iran. It is our collective duty to make sure that their stifled voices do not go unheard and that the regime is held accountable for the repression.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Results
5pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner No Riesgo Al Maury, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner Marwa W’Rsan, Sam Hitchcott, Jaci Wickham.
6pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner Dahess D’Arabie, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi.
6.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m
Winner Safin Al Reef, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,200m
Winner Thulbaseera Al Jasra, Shakir Al Balushi, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
7.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh 80,000 2,200m
Winner Autumn Pride, Szczepan Mazur, Helal Al Alawi.
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
