Between two roaring lions, surrounded by the swirling colours of the Iranian flag, an image of Mahsa Amini peers down on to Washington's bustling U Street.
Written below the slightly smiling symbol of Iran’s protests movement is “Woman, Life, Freedom” – words that have come to encapsulate the campaign for human rights in the country.
Chilean-American artist Rodrigo Pradel painted the mural back in January, in collaboration with Yasi Farazad, his Iranian-American friend.
“Although I'm not from Iran, I've always wanted to work on projects that are bigger than me and that have a great purpose,” Mr Pradel, a full-time muralist, tells The National.
“This is my way of helping.”
Ms Amini was a 22-year-old Kurdish woman whose death in Iranian police custody last year sparked months of nationwide protests that rocked the regime to its core. She had been detained for wearing her hijab “improperly”, in breach of Iran's strict dress code for women.
“We wanted to capture that energy, that strength, that roar of women, these human rights that should be there,” Mr Pradel, who grew up in Canada, says.
“We didn't want it to just be about suffering, we wanted it to be about action.”
After picking a suitable location, Mr Pradel and Ms Farazad got to work on the design of the mural.
“In Iranian culture, the Iranian woman is typically referred to as the lioness,” Ms Farazad tells The National.
“And so it only felt right to have the lioness represented in the mural somehow, because we knew that we wanted Mahsa to be in the centre.”
But while Iranian women have been at the forefront of the national protest movement – which generated a swift and brutal crackdown by the government – men have been marching alongside them, Ms Farazad says.
More than 500 protesters have been killed in rallies and about 20,000 have been detained. Seven men have been executed after being accused of violence against security forces during rallies.
Human rights groups have slammed the death sentences as unfair and said they were a government tool to quell dissent.
“It only felt appropriate to not just have the lioness, but also the lion in there as well,” Ms Farazad says.
Despite the uplifting message of the mural, part of it has been painted over twice by a competing graffiti artist, Mr Pradel says. But he adds that he intends on fixing it up again soon.
In Washington, home to the second-largest Iranian community in the US, support for Ms Amini and the protesters has been unequivocal.
In late July, senators introduced the Mahsa Act following unanimous approval on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee in April.
“Iranian protesters have demonstrated tremendous courage in voicing their outrage toward the Iranian regime after the brutal murder of Mahsa Amini,” said Alex Padilla, the Democratic senator from California who introduced the bill alongside Republican senator from Florida Marco Rubio.
“We must do our part to hold Iranian leaders accountable for their violent crackdown of these protests and the regime’s ongoing repression, censorship, and abuse against its people,” Mr Padilla said in a statement.
The bill requires the President to annually determine whether to apply sanctions on Iranian entities and people who are believed to be responsible for human rights abuses in Iran, including Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
On U Street, home of historic “Black Broadway” and more recently a trendy nightlife scene, pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles pass by the mural at all hours of the day.
Ms Farazad, who spent months taking part in the weekly protests in Washington, says the events in Iran and those surrounding Ms Amini's death have deep personal significance to her.
She and her family left Iran for the US when she was a child a week after Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran's Islamic revolution, overthrew the government in 1979. She has not been back since.
While she senses a gradual change taking place in her ancestral homeland, she worries about the government’s continued insistence on violently cracking down on protesters.
“Mahsa is really the representation of the Iranian woman,” she says.
“I think that's one thing that we’ve realised here. This is the fight of the people, so the people just got to continue to fight.”
Mr Pradel, meanwhile says murals, which are large, expressive and available for all to see, are a powerful and empowering form of art.
“I think it quiets the mind, or it allows you to reflect,” Mr Pradel says.
“You feel smaller, but not in a negative way, and I think it allows you to listen to it more, that's the strength of murals.
“It's more than just a pretty picture – murals, to me, are bigger than life.”
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
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
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Essentials
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Meydan racecard:
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 (PA) Group 1 | US$75,000 (Dirt) | 2,200 metres
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas (TB) Listed | $250,000 (D) | 1,600m
7.40pm: Meydan Classic Trial (TB) Conditions | $100,000 (Turf) | 1,400m
8.15pm: Al Shindagha Sprint (TB) Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,200m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (D) | 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,000m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
