British-Iranian hunger striker Vahid Beheshti has “temporarily stopped” his protest outside London's Foreign Office after being admitted to hospital.
Mr Beheshti, who is campaigning to have Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps listed as a terrorists group, had gone 73 days with only water, coffee and sugar cubes.
His wife Mattie Heaven said his condition had deteriorated to the point where he is unable to stand for long periods, raising concern about his heart and liver.
After being taken to hospital in an ambulance, he said he had bowed to medical advice to pause his protest.
“In order for me to continue this fight to proscribe the IRGC, I have temporarily stopped my hunger strike,” wrote on social media.
“As soon as I have recovered, I will be back opposite the Foreign Office, to continue this fight among my dear brothers and sisters who have fought alongside me.”
Mr Beheshti's wife described his condition as “absolutely heartbreaking” after a family doctor advised an ambulance should be called.
She said Mr Beheshti had lost more than a fifth of his body weight and was experiencing “heaviness and pain in the middle of his chest with ongoing heart palpitations”.
“Vahid is unable to walk or stand for prolonged periods due to severe dizziness and nausea with severe weakness in his legs,” she said.
Anti-IRGC hunger striker Vahid Beheshti — in pictures
The UK government had urged Mr Beheshti to stop his protest because of fears for his health.
He had a letter delivered to King Charles III at a Buckingham Palace garden party this week where he and his wife were guests.
Last month, Mr Beheshti told The National that he was prepared to die on hunger strike to put pressure on the government in Tehran.
Britain has imposed sanctions on IRGC leaders but, like European allies, has so far stopped short of listing the organisation as a terrorists.
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Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
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Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
FA CUP FINAL
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(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
