The sister of a French-Iranian citizen released from an Iranian prison has described the joy, smiles and “huge hugs” as she greeted him as he stepped off a plane in Paris.
Bernard Phelan, who also has Irish citizenship, and another French national, Benjamin Briere, who was in custody for two years, were released on humanitarian grounds last Friday.
Caroline Phelan, Mr Phelan's sister, was at Le Bourget airport to welcome him home.
“It was an unbelievable moment. Just couldn't believe it, couldn't believe it,” she said.
“To see him walking off the plane in France after such stress and such a long time and huge hugs … We were all in tears.
“So it was an amazing moment. And then the French team were there as well. And we've all bonded over these seven months. Just to welcome him home.
“And of course then we rang my father in Dublin. So, my father, Vincent, is 97 and he thought he'd never see his son again. So it was a very special moment for him too.”
Mr Phelan, 64, a travel consultant in Paris, was held in a prison in Mashhad, north-east Iran, for seven months.
His detention for inciting propaganda came during mass anti-government protests that erupted last autumn.
He was later sentenced to six and a half years for providing information to an enemy state, a charge he denied.
The Foreign Ministry in Tehran called their release a “humanitarian action”. Mr Phelan’s family has raised his health problems throughout his detention.
Ms Phelan said her brother would spend time in hospital in France recovering. She said the family was “over the moon” to have him back safe.
“He looked weak, but just still overjoyed. So I think that joy was boosting him. So he is in hospital. I saw him yesterday (Sunday).
“He can't get over the peace and quiet, the silence after being in a cell with 16 other people, having a bathroom.
“And the day before he had his bare feet in the grass because he hasn't seen grass for seven months. They had a courtyard with big high walls and they were only allowed out for 45 minutes a day. So just to put bare feet in the grass on the Saturday afternoon was heaven.”
Ms Phelan rejected claims from the Iranian authorities that her brother was cared for appropriately in prison.
“We wouldn't consider that he was well looked after,” she said.
“He did see a doctor, there was a doctor in the hospital, he was given tests in the last month. He was given a chair and a table in the last month, but he was sitting on the floor for six months.
“Maybe in Iranian standards they think that a prison like that is OK, but it is not in our standards to treat people like that. We would not agree that he was well looked after. But he's home safely and that's what counts.”
She said her brother was looking forward to a fried breakfast and a cup of tea on his return to Ireland.
Ms Phelan added: “I think he's also very conscious of the other Europeans he left behind, it's something he raised with me. He's very conscious that himself and Benjamin got home but there are a lot of other Europeans in Iran today. I don't know when they will come home, but he is very thankful to be one of the first home.
Iran has frequently been accused of taking western citizens hostage to use as political bargaining chips.
Britain settled a historic £400 million ($498 million) debt to Iran during negotiations for the release of dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe last year.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France “will continue to act to return our fellow citizens who are still detained in Iran”.
The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
Results
5pm: Wadi Nagab – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Al Falaq, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Wadi Sidr – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Fakhama, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm: Wadi Shees – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mutaqadim, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 – Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Wadi Tayyibah – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Poster Paint, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
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How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
