An Iranian chess player who moved to Spain after a warrant for her arrest was issued in her home country for competing without a hijab has been granted citizenship.
Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, better known as Sara Khadem, took part in chess championships in Kazakhstan in late December without the headscarf that is mandatory under Iran's strict Islamic dress code, even when representing the country abroad.
Spain's cabinet approved the granting of her citizenship on Tuesday, “taking into account the special circumstances” of her case, the official state journal quoted Justice Minister Pilar Llop as saying.
She was one of several athletes who chose to not to wear the hijab during international championships at a time when Iran was rocked by protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in morality police custody in September after she was arrested for wearing her headscarf “improperly”.
“With the veil I am not myself,” Ms Khadem told El Pais after moving to Spain. “I don't feel well, and therefore I wanted to put an end to that situation. And I decided not to wear it any more.”
In January, she met Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and played a game of chess with him.
Iran uses “nasty tactics” to put pressure on women competing abroad to wear the hijab, an exiled chess referee told The National in January.
“First they condemn you, then attack you with a cyber army, then put pressure on your family,” said Shohreh Bayrat.
“I never came back to Iran because I think now they (would) just execute me.”
Climber Elnaz Rekabi made headlines in October after competing without a headscarf at an event in Seoul, South Korea.
She was warmly welcomed by the public after arriving back in Tehran amid fears she had gone missing and would face prosecution upon her return to Iran.
The BBC said she was forced to make an apology and authorities had threatened to confiscate her family's property over the move.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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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.
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
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Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
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- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
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