TEHRAN // Shots rang out over Tehran's skyline last night as anger over the results of last Friday's elections heightened political tensions and brought ever larger crowds into the streets, fuelling violence that left at least one protester dead and numerous others injured after police fired into crowds.
Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi protested in many parts of Tehran and in other major cities such as Ahvaz, Tabriz and Isfahan last night against what they described as a stolen election. In ominous scenes, crowds jostled with riot police, as men on motorcycles tore through Tehran's streets, scuffling with protesters both male and female.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Sayid Ali Khamenei, perhaps yielding to the growing political tensions, said he had ordered the Guardian Council, the elections watchdog, to carefully consider a complaint filed by Mr Mousavi, the defeated opposition candidate in Friday's elections.
Ayatollah Khamenei also urged Mr Mousavi to "remain calm and self-possessed", according to the Iranian Student News Agency.
The upwelling of anger following the announcement of the results, which many Iranians have described as a government-backed "coup", brought hundreds of thousands of protesters out to Tehran's Azadi square, not long after Mr Mousavi filed a formal complaint with the Guardian Council.
"The vote of the people is more important than Mousavi or any others," Mr Mousavi told the crowd, estimated at up to one million, who had turned out to Azadi square in defiance of an interior ministry ban. Mr Mousavi later urged his supporters to continue their legal and civil protests peacefully.
The speech was Mr Mousavi's first public appearance since he was filmed voting at a mosque in Shahre Ray in southern Tehran on Friday.
He was joined by Mehdi Karrubi, another reformist candidate; the former president Mohammad Khatami; and Mohammad Reza Khatami, the brother of the former president and one of the leaders of the Islamic Participation Front (Mosharekat). Reform leaders said they had joined the protesters to urge them to remain calm after the curb on both domestic and international media and limited internet and mobile access made it impossible to inform the public of the cancellation.
"Mousavi, claim our votes back", chanted protesters dressed in green, the signature of Mr Mousavi's campaign.
Protesters scuffled with the police and some Ahmadinejad supporters before the crowds grew large, but there was little interferences from security forces afterward.
The rally had been called off yesterday morning after Mr Mousavi was denied permission by the interior ministry, but many people appeared on some of the squares in the afternoon and formed large spontaneous groups that later marched toward Azadi (Freedom) Square.
Rumours circulated last night that a similar rally will be held today.
Zahra Rahnavard, Mr Mousavi's wife, who spoke to students at Tehran University, asked supporters to go on with chanting "Allahu Akbar" as they had done on Sunday evening from their rooftops until the people's votes are respected.
Some reports said the campus of Tehran University in central Tehran, where students protested the results of the election, was attacked by plainclothes police in the early hours of yesterday morning.
According to Iranian Students News Agency, parliament speaker Ali Larijani and the Tehran University chancellor have ordered inquiries into the incident.
The European Union has urged Tehran to refrain from violence against protesters to the elections results. Germany and France have both summoned their respective Iranian ambassadors and Mr Ahmadinejad has delayed a planned visit to Russia.
* The National
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Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
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Biog:
Age: 34
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite sport: anything extreme
Favourite person: Muhammad Ali
Tour de France 2017: Stage 5
Vittel - La Planche de Belles Filles, 160.5km
It is a shorter stage, but one that will lead to a brutal uphill finish. This is the third visit in six editions since it was introduced to the race in 2012. Reigning champion Chris Froome won that race.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
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The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
RESULT
RS Leipzig 3
Marcel Sabitzer 10', 21'
Emil Forsberg 87'
Tottenham 0
McLaren GT specs
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
