Dubai says no to Sex and the City 2 filming
DUBAI - The UAE has not banned “Sex in the City 2”, which serves up a stinging portrayal of Muslim society, as the film’s distributor did not seek permission for the film to be shown in the first place.
UAE daily the National said on Thursday that despite reports that the country had banned the movie, an official at the National Media Council told the newspaper that the oversight body was never sent a review copy.
“The first Sex and the City movie was not shown in the UAE because the local distributor never applied for it to be shown,” the spokesman was quoted as saying in the paper. “As for Sex and the City 2, (the distributor) has also not asked us for permission for the film to be shown. This is something of the distributor’s own choice.”
However, a spokesman for the media council had told magazine Time Out Dubai earlier this month that the movie, to be released on May 27, had been banned for “various reasons”.
"Among them are that the film's website stated that filming was done in Abu Dhabi even though they were denied permission to do so," he had said, adding that it "is false ... to attribute the locations shot in Morocco as being in Abu Dhabi".
And the "theme of the film does not fit with our cultural values."
SATC 2’s producers had requested permission to shoot in Abu Dhabi and Dubai last August, saying the capital city “is the new Middle East and the future … There’s a very big story in the Middle East and it also is a very advanced, glamorous capital.”
But the UAE refused, without giving specific reasons.
The TV series Sex and the City is aired in the UAE on Showtime.
SATC 2 is set to spark political debate, with its “scathing portrayal of Muslim society, (the movie) being saucy, proudly feminist and intentionally anti-Muslim”, a U.S.-based reporter was quoted as saying in Time Out Dubai.
Early reviews of the movie suggest it is anti-Muslim, as the four women encounter misogynist attitudes from Middle Eastern men and joke about Muslim women wearing the niqab.
And Kim Cattrall's character, the man-eating Samantha, flouts the UAE’s conservative dress code by wearing revealing clothes.
Brian Lowry, a columnist and critic for U.S.-based showbiz magazine Variety, wrote that the film featured "some not-very-convincing rumination on the treatment of Muslim women - even in what's supposed to be a relatively progressive Arab country - that seems more condescending than stirring".
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Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Iran urges US, Russia to back nuke fuel deal
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad smiles during the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference on May 3, 2010 at the United Nations in New York City. Photograph: Getty Images
TEHRAN - Iran's hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged the United States and Russia Wednesday to back a nuclear fuel deal, warning it would be the last "opportunity" to resolve the atomic standoff.
"The Tehran declaration (on a fuel swap) is the best opportunity. We took an important step and said something very important. There are no excuses left," Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech, addressing US and Russian leaders.
US President Barack Obama "should bear in mind that if he does not use this opportunity, Iranians are unlikely to give him a new chance," he said, as world powers mulled new sanctions against Iran despite the fuel deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey earlier this month.
Western governments have been dismissive of the agreement, arguing that the international community needs to keep up the pressure on Tehran to heed UN Security Council demands over its nuclear programme.
Ahmadinejad lashed out at Russian President Dmitry Medvedev over Moscow's position on the nuclear issue, accusing Iran's longtime trade partner of "siding with those who have been our enemy for 30 years."
"We hope Russian officials will pay attention, make amends and not let Iranians put them in the line of their historic enemies," Ahmadinejad said.
Despite strong energy and defence ties with Iran, Russia has backed a new sanctions drive at the UN Security Council which has issued repeated ultimatums for Iran to freeze uranium enrichment.
Iran is already under three sets of UN sanctions over its refusal to suspend the sensitive process, which lies at the centre of Western fears that the programme is cover for a drive for a nuclear weapon.
Iran denies any such ambition insisting the programme is for power generation and medical purposes only.
On Monday, Iran formally notified the International Atomic Energy Agency of its agreement to the nuclear fuel swap deal, under which it would ship some low enriched uranium to Turkey in return for higher grade fuel for a Tehran research reactor.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Iran's letter to the UN watchdog had "a number of deficiencies."
"The agreement... between Iran, Brazil and Turkey only occurred because the Security Council was on the brink of publicly releasing the text of the resolution we've been negotiating for many weeks," Clinton said on Tuesday.
Washington has forged a compromise on a new draft sanctions resolution at the Security Council which it says has the support of all five veto-wielding permanent members including China, a close ally and energy partner of Iran.
In a televised press conference on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki branded Clinton's comments "faulty" and "propagandist," insisting the "Tehran accord will benefit all sides."
The IAEA has yet to comment on the deal but specialists have said the accord has a key technical flaw as it fails to allocate enough time to make the fuel.
According to a text of the joint declaration carried by Tehran media, Iran expects to receive the 20-percent enriched uranium for reactor fuel within a year of depositing its low-enriched uranium in Turkey.
Iran's archfoe Israel, which is the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, has accused Tehran of "trickery" in the nuclear deal in a bid to ward off international sanctions.
Shortly after signing the accord, Iran vowed to press on with the higher level 20-percent enrichment which it started in February despite international concern.
TEHRAN - Iran's hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged the United States and Russia Wednesday to back a nuclear fuel deal, warning it would be the last "opportunity" to resolve the atomic standoff.
"The Tehran declaration (on a fuel swap) is the best opportunity. We took an important step and said something very important. There are no excuses left," Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech, addressing US and Russian leaders.
US President Barack Obama "should bear in mind that if he does not use this opportunity, Iranians are unlikely to give him a new chance," he said, as world powers mulled new sanctions against Iran despite the fuel deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey earlier this month.
Western governments have been dismissive of the agreement, arguing that the international community needs to keep up the pressure on Tehran to heed UN Security Council demands over its nuclear programme.
Ahmadinejad lashed out at Russian President Dmitry Medvedev over Moscow's position on the nuclear issue, accusing Iran's longtime trade partner of "siding with those who have been our enemy for 30 years."
"We hope Russian officials will pay attention, make amends and not let Iranians put them in the line of their historic enemies," Ahmadinejad said.
Despite strong energy and defence ties with Iran, Russia has backed a new sanctions drive at the UN Security Council which has issued repeated ultimatums for Iran to freeze uranium enrichment.
Iran is already under three sets of UN sanctions over its refusal to suspend the sensitive process, which lies at the centre of Western fears that the programme is cover for a drive for a nuclear weapon.
Iran denies any such ambition insisting the programme is for power generation and medical purposes only.
On Monday, Iran formally notified the International Atomic Energy Agency of its agreement to the nuclear fuel swap deal, under which it would ship some low enriched uranium to Turkey in return for higher grade fuel for a Tehran research reactor.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Iran's letter to the UN watchdog had "a number of deficiencies."
"The agreement... between Iran, Brazil and Turkey only occurred because the Security Council was on the brink of publicly releasing the text of the resolution we've been negotiating for many weeks," Clinton said on Tuesday.
Washington has forged a compromise on a new draft sanctions resolution at the Security Council which it says has the support of all five veto-wielding permanent members including China, a close ally and energy partner of Iran.
In a televised press conference on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki branded Clinton's comments "faulty" and "propagandist," insisting the "Tehran accord will benefit all sides."
The IAEA has yet to comment on the deal but specialists have said the accord has a key technical flaw as it fails to allocate enough time to make the fuel.
According to a text of the joint declaration carried by Tehran media, Iran expects to receive the 20-percent enriched uranium for reactor fuel within a year of depositing its low-enriched uranium in Turkey.
Iran's archfoe Israel, which is the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, has accused Tehran of "trickery" in the nuclear deal in a bid to ward off international sanctions.
Shortly after signing the accord, Iran vowed to press on with the higher level 20-percent enrichment which it started in February despite international concern.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Dubai reaches deal on $23.5 bln debt
A view of the Palm Jumeirah island built by Dubai World real estate developer Nakheel off the coast of Dubai. Photograph: AFP
UAE banks await guidelines after Dubai debt
Debt deal little boost to property sector
Dubai World could raise interest to creditors
DUBAI - Dubai World, the state-owned conglomerate, has reached a deal to restructure $23.5 billion in debt with its core lenders, addressing the most immediate of a string of problems facing investors in Dubai.
The deal, which includes no new money from the government and is broadly in line with proposals made in March, must still be agreed by banks outside the core negotiating panel, which holds 60 percent of the exposure, Dubai World said on Thursday.
Lenders will wait up to eight years to get their $14.4 billion back but have avoided a "haircut" on their principal under the terms of the deal, which offers 1 percent cash interest and an extra 1.5-2.5 percent per annum rolled up into a lump sum payment on maturity. Dubai will convert into equity the $8.9 billion it is owed by the group.
The restructuring has hung over Dubai since last November, and its resolution will be a relief to investors in the emirate, which is struggling with an over-saturated property market, sluggish bank lending and the risk of more debt problems.
"We are not entirely happy, but we are in a no-choice situation. Under the circumstances, this seems the best deal possible, even though it is not entirely satisfactory," said a banker at a Gulf-based lender outside the core group.
Fitch Ratings said bank provisions linked to the debt deal will not cause "major difficulties" for the UAE banking system. Fitch put the ratings of five Dubai-based banks on negative watch in December.
"The agency is also concerned that other Dubai government-related entities may be experiencing debt problems, albeit not of this magnitude," it added.
Dubai, famed for extravagant property projects and a tax-free lifestyle, has struggled to bring its debt burden, estimated around $100 billion, under control.
The Gulf Arab emirate ran up massive debts to turn itself into a trade and tourism hub, but the global financial crisis and a collapse in oil prices in 2008 brought an abrupt end to a six-year boom.
Analysts said the deal does little to alleviate the chronic oversupply in Dubai's property market, a key driver of the emirate's growth.
"It adds a little bit of comfort, but there is still a crisis of confidence in terms of real estate," said Chet Riley, an analyst at Nomura. The emirate stunned global markets last November when it said it would delay repayment of $26 billion in debt linked to Dubai World and its property units, Nakheel and Limitless. Dubai unveiled a $9.5 billion rescue plan in March.
"This closes the main chapter, but that doesn't mean we don't have a bumpy ride ahead," said Haissam Arabi, chief executive and fund manager at Gulfmena Alternative Investments.
"There are still issues such as Dubai Holding and others."
Speculation has centred on Dubai Holding -- owned by the emirate's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum -- which has about $10 billion in outstanding debt.
Among upcoming Dubai debt maturities, Dubai International Capital, the overseas investment arm of Dubai Holding, has a $1.25 billion loan due in June. The company has said it will refinance the loan. A $2.1 billion Dubai World loan due in June falls under the debt deal.
NO JUMPING FOR JOY
UAE markets gave a weary welcome to the debt deal, with investors more worried about sluggish economic recovery and fallout from Greece's debt problems, while Dubai-linked bonds rallied.
The price of insuring against default of Dubai debt edged slightly lower to 466.8 basis points, according to CMA.
"If this had come out two, three weeks ago, there would have been a much bigger impact, but the world has much bigger fish to fry," said Matthew Wakeman, EFG-Hermes managing director for cash and equity-linked trading.
"The terms are strong, but nobody is going to be jumping up and down for joy for a restructuring. The main thing is that it reduces uncertainty."
A successful debt deal may ease constraints on local banks, which have largely refrained from providing the credit needed by the UAE economy to emerge from the crisis.
But it also means local banks will need to start the painful process of writing down loans and purging bloated balance sheets.
Property developer Nakheel, which repaid a $980 million Islamic bond last week, is in parallel talks over about $10.5 billion in debt and has offered its trade creditors full repayment, with 40 percent in cash and the rest via an Islamic bond, or sukuk, which has a 10 percent annual return.
The disparity between the two offers has been a sticking point for some lenders, who feel that Nakheel has been offered a far better deal on the interest rate.
The Dubai World proposal offers repayment over five or eight years and allows lenders additional options, depending on whether they are local or foreign lenders and on the currency of their loans.
The proposal has two tranches covering the $14.4 billion owed to the bank lenders. The first tranche, for $4.4 billion, offers a five-year maturity and 1 percent cash interest but no additional lump sum payment on maturity -- referred to as a payment in kind (PIK) -- and no shortfall guarantee.
The second tranche covers $10 billion, comes with an eight-year maturity, offers 1 percent interest, and varying PIK rates and shortfall guarantees depending on the options lenders choose. The PIK rates range from 1.5 percent up to 2.5 percent in certain years of the maturity.
UAE banks await guidelines after Dubai debt
Debt deal little boost to property sector
Dubai World could raise interest to creditors
DUBAI - Dubai World, the state-owned conglomerate, has reached a deal to restructure $23.5 billion in debt with its core lenders, addressing the most immediate of a string of problems facing investors in Dubai.
The deal, which includes no new money from the government and is broadly in line with proposals made in March, must still be agreed by banks outside the core negotiating panel, which holds 60 percent of the exposure, Dubai World said on Thursday.
Lenders will wait up to eight years to get their $14.4 billion back but have avoided a "haircut" on their principal under the terms of the deal, which offers 1 percent cash interest and an extra 1.5-2.5 percent per annum rolled up into a lump sum payment on maturity. Dubai will convert into equity the $8.9 billion it is owed by the group.
The restructuring has hung over Dubai since last November, and its resolution will be a relief to investors in the emirate, which is struggling with an over-saturated property market, sluggish bank lending and the risk of more debt problems.
"We are not entirely happy, but we are in a no-choice situation. Under the circumstances, this seems the best deal possible, even though it is not entirely satisfactory," said a banker at a Gulf-based lender outside the core group.
Fitch Ratings said bank provisions linked to the debt deal will not cause "major difficulties" for the UAE banking system. Fitch put the ratings of five Dubai-based banks on negative watch in December.
"The agency is also concerned that other Dubai government-related entities may be experiencing debt problems, albeit not of this magnitude," it added.
Dubai, famed for extravagant property projects and a tax-free lifestyle, has struggled to bring its debt burden, estimated around $100 billion, under control.
The Gulf Arab emirate ran up massive debts to turn itself into a trade and tourism hub, but the global financial crisis and a collapse in oil prices in 2008 brought an abrupt end to a six-year boom.
Analysts said the deal does little to alleviate the chronic oversupply in Dubai's property market, a key driver of the emirate's growth.
"It adds a little bit of comfort, but there is still a crisis of confidence in terms of real estate," said Chet Riley, an analyst at Nomura. The emirate stunned global markets last November when it said it would delay repayment of $26 billion in debt linked to Dubai World and its property units, Nakheel and Limitless. Dubai unveiled a $9.5 billion rescue plan in March.
"This closes the main chapter, but that doesn't mean we don't have a bumpy ride ahead," said Haissam Arabi, chief executive and fund manager at Gulfmena Alternative Investments.
"There are still issues such as Dubai Holding and others."
Speculation has centred on Dubai Holding -- owned by the emirate's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum -- which has about $10 billion in outstanding debt.
Among upcoming Dubai debt maturities, Dubai International Capital, the overseas investment arm of Dubai Holding, has a $1.25 billion loan due in June. The company has said it will refinance the loan. A $2.1 billion Dubai World loan due in June falls under the debt deal.
NO JUMPING FOR JOY
UAE markets gave a weary welcome to the debt deal, with investors more worried about sluggish economic recovery and fallout from Greece's debt problems, while Dubai-linked bonds rallied.
The price of insuring against default of Dubai debt edged slightly lower to 466.8 basis points, according to CMA.
"If this had come out two, three weeks ago, there would have been a much bigger impact, but the world has much bigger fish to fry," said Matthew Wakeman, EFG-Hermes managing director for cash and equity-linked trading.
"The terms are strong, but nobody is going to be jumping up and down for joy for a restructuring. The main thing is that it reduces uncertainty."
A successful debt deal may ease constraints on local banks, which have largely refrained from providing the credit needed by the UAE economy to emerge from the crisis.
But it also means local banks will need to start the painful process of writing down loans and purging bloated balance sheets.
Property developer Nakheel, which repaid a $980 million Islamic bond last week, is in parallel talks over about $10.5 billion in debt and has offered its trade creditors full repayment, with 40 percent in cash and the rest via an Islamic bond, or sukuk, which has a 10 percent annual return.
The disparity between the two offers has been a sticking point for some lenders, who feel that Nakheel has been offered a far better deal on the interest rate.
The Dubai World proposal offers repayment over five or eight years and allows lenders additional options, depending on whether they are local or foreign lenders and on the currency of their loans.
The proposal has two tranches covering the $14.4 billion owed to the bank lenders. The first tranche, for $4.4 billion, offers a five-year maturity and 1 percent cash interest but no additional lump sum payment on maturity -- referred to as a payment in kind (PIK) -- and no shortfall guarantee.
The second tranche covers $10 billion, comes with an eight-year maturity, offers 1 percent interest, and varying PIK rates and shortfall guarantees depending on the options lenders choose. The PIK rates range from 1.5 percent up to 2.5 percent in certain years of the maturity.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Child survivor of Libyan crash flies home
Ruben van Assouw is seen in his hospital bed in Tripoli's El Khadra hospital, Libya Thusday, May 13, 2010. Photograph: AP
Libya air crash survivor told parents dead
Libya plane crash boy stable but confused
EINDHOVEN - Nine-year-old Ruben van Assouw, the sole survivor of a Libyan airliner crash, arrived back home in the Netherlands on Saturday, three days after the disaster that killed his parents, brother and 100 others, officials said.
"The plane with the surviving boy has landed" at the Eindhoven military air base, spokesman Markus van Tol of the Dutch tourism federation ANWB told AFP, as reports said Ruben was then transferred to an ambulance with blacked out windows and taken to an undisclosed hospital.
Accompanied by an uncle and aunt and the Libyan doctor who had been treating him, the air ambulance transporting the boy landed around 2:15 pm (1215 GMT), according to Dutch news agency ANP.
The flight had left from Matiga military airfield in the Libyan capital about three hours earlier, with every effort being made to hide the boy from the sight of journalists, photographers and onlookers on both ends.
"He's a very special patient. He is talking and in good health. I will stay (in the Netherlands) for as long as necessary," Dr Siddiq ben Dilla told AFP before the Cessna Citation air ambulance took off from Libya.
Police prevented photographers from approaching as Ruben was taken from hospital by stretcher, covered in a blue blanket and with a black cap on his head and scarf covering his face, to the ambulance for the journey to the airport.
Upon landing, the boy identified by the foreign ministry only as Ruben from Tilburg in the southern Netherlands and more fully as Ruben van Assouw by Dutch media, was taken by ambulance with two doctors and a nurse to hospital.
About an hour after landing at Eindhoven, the foreign ministry said "Ruben has arrived safely at his final destination", which it declined to specify.
"This concludes the news about Ruben," foreign ministry spokesman Christoph Prommersberger told AFP. "There won't be any more information, any more updates."
The Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330 flight from Johannesburg in South Africa disintegrated on landing. Officials said 70 Dutch citizens were among the 103 people killed, although Afriqiyah Airways said there were 67 Dutch on board, including Ruben.
The boy was found alive, strapped into his seat at the accident site.
A commission of inquiry said Saturday that the plane did not catch fire before hitting the ground.
"We have not found debris detached from the plane or evidence of fire before the accident," commission chief Neji Dhaou was quoted as saying by official news agency JANA.
"The fire broke out 400 metres (yards) from the initial impact with the ground."
Ruben himself has told a Dutch newspaper he could remember nothing about the crash.
"I am fine, but my legs hurt a lot," he said in a telephone interview published Friday, adding: "I really want to go home."
Ruben's aunt and uncle said on Friday the boy was now aware that his mother, father and 11-year-old brother died in the crash.
"We have explained to Ruben exactly what happened. He knows that his parents and his brother are dead," they said in a statement read to media in Tripoli.
"The time ahead will be a difficult period for us," the statement said. "We hope that the media will respect our privacy."
Libya air crash survivor told parents dead
Libya plane crash boy stable but confused
EINDHOVEN - Nine-year-old Ruben van Assouw, the sole survivor of a Libyan airliner crash, arrived back home in the Netherlands on Saturday, three days after the disaster that killed his parents, brother and 100 others, officials said.
"The plane with the surviving boy has landed" at the Eindhoven military air base, spokesman Markus van Tol of the Dutch tourism federation ANWB told AFP, as reports said Ruben was then transferred to an ambulance with blacked out windows and taken to an undisclosed hospital.
Accompanied by an uncle and aunt and the Libyan doctor who had been treating him, the air ambulance transporting the boy landed around 2:15 pm (1215 GMT), according to Dutch news agency ANP.
The flight had left from Matiga military airfield in the Libyan capital about three hours earlier, with every effort being made to hide the boy from the sight of journalists, photographers and onlookers on both ends.
"He's a very special patient. He is talking and in good health. I will stay (in the Netherlands) for as long as necessary," Dr Siddiq ben Dilla told AFP before the Cessna Citation air ambulance took off from Libya.
Police prevented photographers from approaching as Ruben was taken from hospital by stretcher, covered in a blue blanket and with a black cap on his head and scarf covering his face, to the ambulance for the journey to the airport.
Upon landing, the boy identified by the foreign ministry only as Ruben from Tilburg in the southern Netherlands and more fully as Ruben van Assouw by Dutch media, was taken by ambulance with two doctors and a nurse to hospital.
About an hour after landing at Eindhoven, the foreign ministry said "Ruben has arrived safely at his final destination", which it declined to specify.
"This concludes the news about Ruben," foreign ministry spokesman Christoph Prommersberger told AFP. "There won't be any more information, any more updates."
The Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330 flight from Johannesburg in South Africa disintegrated on landing. Officials said 70 Dutch citizens were among the 103 people killed, although Afriqiyah Airways said there were 67 Dutch on board, including Ruben.
The boy was found alive, strapped into his seat at the accident site.
A commission of inquiry said Saturday that the plane did not catch fire before hitting the ground.
"We have not found debris detached from the plane or evidence of fire before the accident," commission chief Neji Dhaou was quoted as saying by official news agency JANA.
"The fire broke out 400 metres (yards) from the initial impact with the ground."
Ruben himself has told a Dutch newspaper he could remember nothing about the crash.
"I am fine, but my legs hurt a lot," he said in a telephone interview published Friday, adding: "I really want to go home."
Ruben's aunt and uncle said on Friday the boy was now aware that his mother, father and 11-year-old brother died in the crash.
"We have explained to Ruben exactly what happened. He knows that his parents and his brother are dead," they said in a statement read to media in Tripoli.
"The time ahead will be a difficult period for us," the statement said. "We hope that the media will respect our privacy."
French academic freed from Iran
Clotilde Reiss defends herself during a hearing at a revolutionary court in Tehran on Aug. 8, 2009. Photograph: AFP
GALLERY: Clotilde Reiss on trial
Tehran to allow French academic to leave Iran
PARIS - Clotilde Reiss, the French academic arrested and held in Iran since last July has been released and is on the way home, the French president's office announced Sunday.
"The President of the Republic will receive her and her family at the Elysee Palace as soon as she arrives in Paris," at around 1:00 pm (1100 GMT), said the statement.
"Clotilde Reiss has boarded a French government plane at Dubai airport and is currently en route towards France," the statement added.
Reiss was arrested for allegedly participating in demonstrations against the disputed presidential election.
Her lawyer, Mohammad Ali Mahdavi Sabet, said on Saturday that a court had issued a ruling allowing her to leave Iran.
Mahdavi Sabet said Reiss had been sentenced to "pay a fine of 285,000 dollars (230,000 euros)," for her crimes, adding that he had paid the money on Saturday and had not lodged an appeal.
Reiss, 24, was arrested on July 1 during post-election unrest and put on trial in August charged with acting against national security.
Described by those who know her as a serious scholar passionate about the Iranian language and culture, she was arrested before flying home after completing a six-month teaching and research assignment in the city of Isfahan.
GALLERY: Clotilde Reiss on trial
Tehran to allow French academic to leave Iran
PARIS - Clotilde Reiss, the French academic arrested and held in Iran since last July has been released and is on the way home, the French president's office announced Sunday.
"The President of the Republic will receive her and her family at the Elysee Palace as soon as she arrives in Paris," at around 1:00 pm (1100 GMT), said the statement.
"Clotilde Reiss has boarded a French government plane at Dubai airport and is currently en route towards France," the statement added.
Reiss was arrested for allegedly participating in demonstrations against the disputed presidential election.
Her lawyer, Mohammad Ali Mahdavi Sabet, said on Saturday that a court had issued a ruling allowing her to leave Iran.
Mahdavi Sabet said Reiss had been sentenced to "pay a fine of 285,000 dollars (230,000 euros)," for her crimes, adding that he had paid the money on Saturday and had not lodged an appeal.
Reiss, 24, was arrested on July 1 during post-election unrest and put on trial in August charged with acting against national security.
Described by those who know her as a serious scholar passionate about the Iranian language and culture, she was arrested before flying home after completing a six-month teaching and research assignment in the city of Isfahan.
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