A deal between the US and Iran will see Washington unfreeze $6 billion of Iranian funds that will then be sent to Qatar and made available for Tehran.
In return, five US-Iranian dual citizens are expected to be freed and leave Iran, while a similar number of Iranian prisoners held in the US with also be released.
Here is what we know so far about the five detainees, four of whom were released from Evin prison in August and placed them under house arrest before their repatriation to the US.
Siamak Namazi
Siamak Namazi, 51, an Iranian-American businessman, has been held in Tehran on espionage charges since October 2015.
The oil company executive was convicted of collaborating with a hostile government, the US, in 2016 and has since become the longest-serving US-Iranian prisoner held in Iran.
Tehran resisted repeated demands by successive US administrations for his release.
His father, Baquer Namazi, was arrested in 2016 after he flew into Iran to visit his son in a Tehran prison.
The elder Namazi was detained for years and was only allowed to leave Iran in October 2022. He went to the UAE for medical treatment.
Emad Shargi
Emad Shargi, 59, a businessman from Washington, DC, was jailed in October 2018 on what the US government described as “bogus” espionage charges.
According to an NPR interview with his wife, Bahareh Shargi, Mr Shargi was born in Iran and moved to the US when he was young, eventually becoming a citizen.
Iran does not recognise dual nationalities so Mr Shargi was deprived of regular US consular access.
The wife told NPR that she and her husband had decided to live in a family home in Tehran after their children went to university. He was arrested in April 2018 and taken to Iran's notorious Evin prison.
Morad Tahbaz
Environmentalist Morad Tahbaz, 67, was arrested in his country of birth in January 2018 during a crackdown on environmental activists.
Tehran accused him and seven other conservationists of collecting classified material about Iran’s strategic areas, under the guise of environmental work.
His Canadian-Iranian colleague, Kavous Seyed-Emami, died in custody a few weeks later in unexplained circumstances.
Two other detainees
Reuters reported that the identities of the fourth and fifth Americans, one of whom according to sources is a woman, have not been disclosed.
It was not immediately clear which Iranian prisoners being held in the US would in turn, would be swapped.
Robert Levinson
There has been no word on the fate of Robert Levinson, who was taken into custody by Iran in 2007.
Mr Levinson disappeared from Iran’s Kish Island and for years, US officials would only say that the meticulous FBI investigator credited with busting Russian and Italian mobsters was working for a private company on his trip.
In December 2013, it was revealed that he had been on a mission for CIA analysts who had no authority to run spy operations.
The US government in 2020 reported that he had probably died while in Iranian custody.
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
MATCH INFO
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Tottenham v RB Leipzig, Wednesday, midnight (UAE)
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
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Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
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SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
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Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
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The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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
