Gulf Business -- UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has launched the county’s first astronaut programme.
The programme is designed to select and train four Emirati astronauts for various space missions with the intention of making them ready for a trip to the International Space Station (ISS) within the next five years.
It marks the latest in a series of space projects announced by the country as it... Read More
The National -- The UAE announced on Tuesday it had formed a new alliance with Saudi Arabia in a move that will bring the two countries closer together on a wide range of key areas including defence, political institutions and the economy.
News of the Presidential decree formalising the arrangement came on the eve of the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Kuwait, which was attended largely by ministers from the member countries, rather than heads of state, as usual.
According... Read More
The National -- Russia has been banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics after a prolonged doping scandal, although the International Olympic Committee said some Russian athletes would be able to compete "under strict conditions".
The IOC announced the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) on Tuesday after examining evidence of state-sponsored doping over several years that came to a head at the Winter Olympics hosted in Sochi, Russia, in 2014.
... Read More
The Daily Mail -- Anastasia Knyazeva has already amassed a legion of fans online, who have been wowed by her doll-like features and striking blue eyes.
The youngster is a successful child model, having starred in a number of campaigns including for Russian brand Chobi Kids.
It comes after Thylane, now 16, was famously named the world's most beautiful girl at the age of six - and became the youngest model to star in French Vogue.
Anastasia, who is represented by... Read More
BBC -- Laurence Graff, chairman of Graff Diamonds, won the precious stone - nicknamed the "peace diamond" - in bidding on Monday.
Half of the proceeds, $3.8m, will be used to fund infrastructure projects to benefit the community of the small village where it was discovered.
The Sierra Leone government rejected a bid of $7.8m at an earlier auction.
The government is now expected to use the money raised to improve conditions in the village of Koryardu, including the... Read More
“Beautiful China Amazing Ningxia” Introduction Conference was held at JW Marriott Marquise in Dubai. It was organized by Tourism Development Commission of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and prepared by China Travel Service of Ningxia Co., LTD. It aims to further enhance the brand value and influence of “Beautiful China Amazing Ningxia”. Representatives from Dubai Tourism Bureau, Chinese and Foreign travel agencies, news media and more than 120 people attended.
Mr. Qiu Weining, Senior... Read More
The National - Former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh was shot dead on Monday in a roadside attack after apparently switching sides in the country's civil war.
Saleh and his supporters formed an alliance with the country's Houthi rebels in 2014 against the internationally recognised government of president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, Saleh's successor. But this alliance had broken down in recent days as fighting erupted on the streets of the Yemeni capital between the two sides.
... Read More
Gulf News -- A Dubai-bound Emirates flight was forced to divert on Monday when crew were made aware that a passenger was unresponsive.
En route from London, the aircraft was diverted to Kuwait and landed, confirmed the airline in a statement on Monday.
... Read More
Khaleej Times -- Sharjah Police are investigating the case of a 53-year-old Indian, identified as Sh. J, who fell to his death from the 10th floor of a building on King Faisal Road.
Police received a call at 9.30am on Sunday at the operation room informing them about the incident. A team of patrols and forensic experts rushed to the site where they found that the man had already died due to severe injuries to his skull, lungs and various parts of the body. Police immediately shifted... Read More
Khaleej Times -- The lost and found department of the Dubai Police transferred Dh6.25 million in cash to the state treasury in 2016.
Revenues from recovered items and materials sold at auction reached Dh4.71 million last year, compared to Dh3.86 million this year.
This was revealed by Colonel Rashid Bin Safwan, director of the lost and found department. He said that the cash found and handed over to the parties concerned during 2017 included $198,000, 10,000 Bahraini dinars, £... Read More