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☆ Mexico Survives a Controversial Penalty Call to Draw With Poland
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Andrew Beaton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DOHA, Qatar—Judging by the swell of Mexico fans who flew to this tiny emirate, chanted on the local subway en route to the game and painted the blue seats almost entirely green here at Stadium 974—where there was only a speck of Polish red mixed in—there was no sign that the last couple of years haven’t lived up to El Tri’s standard as the dominant force in its region. No matter anything else, Mexico still has goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and its supporters arrive at the World Cup with the same expectation every four years: a trip to the knockout rounds. That’s exactly what has happened in each of the previous seven World Cups—and Mexico promptly lost in the Round of 16 each time.

☆ Crowd gives Tunisia lift as they hold Denmark 0-0 at halftime
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Underdogs Tunisia were drawing energy from a spirited crowd at the Education City Stadium on Tuesday and holding Denmark 0-0 at halftime in the opening Group D clash at the World Cup in Qatar. The north Africans enjoyed noisy support from a sea of red-clad fans, many of whom live and work in the Gulf emirate, and could have gone ahead three minutes before the break but Kasper Schmeichel made a superb one-handed save to deny Issam Jebali. Writing by Mark Gleeson in Doha; Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

DOHA, Qatar — The 2022 World Cup kicks off Sunday shrouded in accusations of human rights violations and last-minute controversy surrounding host Qatar. Mostly soccer fans gather at the Corniche Waterfront ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Doha pm Saturday. Players exercise during Qatar's official training ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar on Saturday. “It’s going to be a force to reckon with.”The U.S. failed to qualify for the last World Cup but now boasts a young, exciting squad who largely play for big teams across Europe. People attend the FIFA Fan Festival opening day ahead of the World Cup in Doha, Qatar on Nov. 19, 2022.

☆ With balloons and contact cards, first Israel-Qatar flight heads to World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Amir Cohen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Football fans queue before boarding the first direct commercial flight between Israel and Qatar for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel November 20, 2022. "There were a few concerns, I cannot deny that," said Sagi Ashkevitz, who was flying out with three friends to his second World Cup. Those boarding the TUS Airways plane at Ben Gurion Airport had originally been told they would have a brief stopover in Cyprus. Six more Tel Aviv-Doha flights for the World Cup have been approved so far, Mizrahi said. Riad Ziadna, a member of Israel's Arab minority who held a soccer ball as he stood in the check-in line, said he believed the World Cup would be "the starter's pistol for coexistence all over the Middle East".

☆ Afghan Taliban say group will stick to strict Islamic law
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban will stick to their strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, a spokesman said Thursday, underscoring the group’s intention to continue hard-line policies implemented since they took over Afghanistan more than a year ago. During their previous years in power in the late 1990s, the Taliban carried out public executions, floggings and stoning of those convicted of crimes in Taliban courts. According to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhunzada, met with Taliban judges a few days ago and instructed them to implement Sharia law in their rulings. Mujahid said this instruction prompted perceptions that Islamic law had been abandoned in the Islamic emirate, as the Taliban call their administration. “It doesn’t mean that the Islamic emirate didn’t implement the limits of Allah Almighty since it came to power,” he said.

☆ Who is Viktor Bout, the arms dealer who could be swapped for Griner?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Russia wants the jailed arms dealer back in Moscow and is discussing a prisoner swap with the United States that could see him exchanged for Americans imprisoned in Russia including basketball star Brittney Griner. Reed was ultimately freed in return for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot jailed in the United States on drug trafficking charges. For some experts, the Russian state's continued interest in Bout, plus his skills and connections in the international arms trade, hint strongly at Russian intelligence ties. In interviews, Bout has said he attended Moscow's Military Institute of Foreign Languages, which serves as a training ground for military intelligence officers. “His case has become totemic for the Russian intelligence services, who are keen to show that they don’t abandon their own people,” Galeotti added.

☆ You can take a 500-mile round-trip taxi from Saudi Arabia to the Qatar World Cup for $532
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A fixed $266 each way (1000 Saudi riyals), or $532 for the round-trip, with a maximum of three passengers per taxi. Bassel Al Nahlaoui, Careem's managing director for mobility, thinks so. To this end, contingencies have also been put in place if riders or drivers face problems or unruly behavior, Al Nahlaoui said. In case the drivers themselves face trouble from passengers, "our captains have the same access to care that our customers have," Al Nahlaoui said. Al Nahlaoui says he hopes this won't be the case this time, and that the company has amply prepared for the massive influx of people.

☆ The Most Unlikely Host in World Cup History
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In December 2010, then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter opened an envelope in Zurich and shocked the soccer universe. The 2022 World Cup, he announced, would be held in the tiny Gulf emirate of Qatar—in the desert, in air-conditioned stadiums, in the middle of summer. Never mind that temperatures would soar above 105 degrees in downtown Doha. Or that Qatar’s national team had never even been to a World Cup. The world’s largest sporting event was heading to a country roughly the size of Jamaica with the population of Brooklyn.

☆ Binance CEO Zhao: Significant interest in crypto industry recovery fund
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Rachna Uppal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ABU DHABI, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Binance Chief Executive Changpeng Zhao said on Wednesday there was significant interest from industry players in a recovery fund his company plans to launch to help crypto projects facing a liquidity squeeze following the collapse of rival FTX. Speaking at a conference in Abu Dhabi, Zhao said he doesn't have an exact figure in mind for the size of the recovery fund. Zhao said Binance has healthy reserves but he did not say how much the company would contribute to the fund. The crypto industry is reckoning with the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried's rival exchange FTX, which filed for bankruptcy on Friday after users rushed to withdraw $6 billion in crypto tokens in just 72 hours. "Obtaining this license is a pivotal step in the growth of Binance in Abu Dhabi, and a reflection of the city's progressive stance on virtual assets," Dominic Longman, senior executive officer at Binance Abu Dhabi, said in a statement.

☆ Qatar Wanted to Host the World Cup. First It Needed a Soccer Team.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Qatar Wanted to Host the World Cup. First It Needed a Soccer Team. More than a decade ago, the tiny emirate kicked off an ambitious plan to identify the kids who could become its 2022 tournament squad. They now form the core of the team that will kick off Qatar’s World Cup.

☆ Qatar World Cup ambassador says homosexuality is ‘damage in the mind’
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN — An ambassador for the World Cup in Qatar has described homosexuality as a “damage in the mind” in an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF just two weeks before the opening of the global soccer tournament in the Gulf state. Excerpts of the television interview were shown Monday night on ZDF’s news program Heute Journal. Concerns about the conservative country’s treatment of homosexuals living in the country as well as LGBTQ tourists attending the World Cup have also been expressed for a long time. In the interview, Salman also said that homosexuality “is a spiritual harm.”“During the World Cup, many things will come here to the country. The interview was cut short by a press officer of the World Cup organizing committee after Salman expressed his views on homosexuals, ZDF reported.

☆ Christian monastery possibly pre-dating Islam found in UAE
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

An ancient Christian monastery possibly dating as far back as the years before Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula has been discovered on an island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, officials announced Thursday. The monastery on Siniyah Island, part of the sand-dune sheikhdom of Umm al-Quwain, sheds new light on the history of early Christianity along the shores of the Persian Gulf. On one, to the island’s northeast, archaeologists discovered the monastery. Viewed from above, the monastery on Siniyah Island’s floor plan suggests early Christian worshippers prayed within a single-aisle church at the monastery. Power said that development spurred the archaeological work that discovered the monastery.

☆ Gulf states use new oil riches to gain regional influence
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

“Money talks,” Michael Maduell, president of the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute in Las Vegas, told CNN. Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, last week announced that the nation’s wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), is establishing five regional companies worth $24 billion across the Middle East. One of the key regional investment destinations for both Abu Dhabi and Riyadh has been Egypt. Once a regional rival, Turkey is now an economic ally of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Despite a political thaw, Gulf investments in Iran and Syria are unlikely for the time being, say analysts.

A helicopter flies over the downtown skyline, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as seen from the Cleveland Clinic hospital in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, April 20, 2020. ADQ, the smallest of Abu Dhabi's three main sovereign wealth funds, began in 2018 as a vehicle for holding state assets. ADQ and the UAE foreign ministry did not respond to emailed requests for comment. Among recent deals, ADQ launched a $300 million technology fund in March with Turkey's sovereign wealth fund to invest in venture capital funds and opportunities inside Turkey. "They are the ones that promote UAE economic diplomacy, its regional and global influence," he said.

Former Wall Street Journal reporter Jay Solomon poses for a photograph in front of a building in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., September 28, 2022. REUTERS/Raphael SatterLaw firms Dechert LLP FollowWASHINGTON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - A former Wall Street Journal reporter is accusing a major U.S. law firm of having used mercenary hackers to oust him from his job and ruin his reputation. Azima - who filed his own lawsuit against Dechert on Thursday in New York - did not immediately return a message. read moreSolomon’s suit is the latest in a series of legal actions that follows Reuters’ reporting about hired hackers operating out of India. Reuters has reported that lawyers for Ras Al Khaimah’s investment agency – RAKIA – used the emails to help win a fraud lawsuit filed against Azima in London in 2016.

ChargePoint, the largest U.S. producer of EV charging stations, is rolling out an advertising display businessFriction over a new marketing direction follows years of challenges for the storied electronics chain. Many luxury-good sellers aren’t feeling the same pressure to cut marketing budgets that has hit other categories in recent months, thanks to a booming market for costly cars, travel packages and other premium products. Tennis Styles Fuel Seasonal Marketing Strategies The U.S. Open will put tennis fashion back in the spotlight, but consumers are increasingly embracing the sport’s look year-round. Large Ad Agency Networks Have Resisted the Economic Downturn—So Far Top global advertising agency networks have so far defied widespread declines in ad spending that have hurt digital platforms, publishers and broadcasters, but their outlooks for the years to come remain uncertain. Web3 Brands Try Serving Customers in the Real World Solana, SuperPlastic and Doodles are using interactive experiences to reach consumers who aren’t already NFT converts

☆ Taliban release American engineer Frerichs in prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Noorzai was detained by the United States on suspicion of smuggling more than $50 million worth of heroin into the United States and Europe. Frerichs is an engineer and U.S. Navy veteran from Lombard, Illinois, who worked in Afghanistan for a decade on development projects. The United States has no official representation in Afghanistan and U.S. government officials elsewhere were not immediately available for comment. The United States has been pushing for the release of Frerichs, including after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, as U.S.-led foreign forces were withdrawing. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The forest growing in the world’s hottest sea
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-04 | by ( Barry Neild | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Jubail Mangrove Park is a green expanse of gray mangrove trees on the northeastern edge of Abu Dhabi’s Al Jubail island, where shallow tidal waterways spill out into the clear blue Arabian Sea. It’s a tranquil world away from the shimmering skyscrapers and heat-hazed hustle of downtown Abu Dhabi, albeit just a short drive away. Dreamlike destinationThe Jubail Mangrove Park is an unexpected green escape from the deserts of Abu Dhabi. And observing those genes in action in Abu Dhabi could be a good sign. “It is the only place in Abu Dhabi where you can see so much green.”

☆ Cel mai inalt hotel din lume şi-a deschis porţile. O cameră costă 400 de euro pe noapte
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-26 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Cel mai înalt hotel din lume şi-a deschis porţile. Acesta este situat între etajele 84 şi 120 ale Turnului Shanghai şi are 165 de camere, şapte restaurante, o pisicină, un centru de fitness şi spa. Lyu Haiyan, preşedinte J Hotel: Nici un material inflamabil, de la textile la tapet, nu poate fi folosit în clădire. O cameră dublă la hotel costă 400 de euro pe noapte. Chen Liming, vice-preşedinte J Hotel International: Hotelul este un simbol important al tentantivei noastre de a dezvolta influenţa brandurilor chinezeşti în lume.

Persons: Lyu, Chen Liming Locations: Shanghai, Dubai

☆ Moment istoric: Noura Al-Matrooshi, prima femeie astronaut din Emiratele Arabe Unite
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-12 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Noura Al-Matrooschi face istorie în Emiratele Arabe Unite, după ce a devenit prima femeie astronaut din această țară. Împreună cu Mohammed Al-Mulla, Noura Al-Matrooschi a fost selectată dintre cei peste 4.000 de candidați care au aplicat la program, a spus șeicul Mohammed, conducătorul Dubaiului. Nora Al-Matrooshi s-a născut în 1993 şi e licenţiată în inginerie mecanică, la Universitatea din Emiratele Arabe Unite. Noura Al-Matrooschi spune că trăieşte după deviza „Fă ceea ce te face fericit”, iar visul său pare pe cale să se îndeplinească. Alături de echipa NASA şi de colegul său, Mohammed Al-Mulla, pilot comercial născut în 1988, se va pregăti pentru viitoarele explorări spaţiale.

Persons: Noura, Ea, Mohammed Bin Rashid, șeicul Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Mohammed Al -, șeicul Mohammed, Nora Al -, Nora Organizations: CNN, Universitatea din, Universitatea din Emiratele Arabe Unite, NASA Locations: Emiratele Arabe Unite, Emiratele Arabe, Universitatea din Emiratele Arabe

☆ Prima astronaută de origine arabă din istorie, selectată din peste 4 000 de candidați
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-12 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +3 min

Prima astronaută de origine arabă din istorie, selectată din peste 4 000 de candidațiEmiratele Arabe Unite (EAU) au anunţat în acest weekend includerea a doi noi astronauţi în ambiţiosul program spaţial al ţării, printre aceştia figurând „prima femeie astronaut de origine arabă”. „Anunţăm prima femeie astronaut de origine arabă printre cei doi noi astronauţi selectaţi din peste 4 000 de candidaţi pentru a fi instruiţi la NASA pentru viitoarele misiuni de explorare spaţială”, a scris Mohammed bin Rashid pe Twitter. În februarie, sonda spaţială Hope a EAU a intrat pe orbita „Planetei Roşii”, reuşită care a făcut din ţara din Golf primul stat arab care a lansat cu succes o misiune interplanetară. Sonda spaţială Hope sau Al-Amal, în arabă, fără echipaj uman, a fost lansată din Japonia în iulie. Potrivit misiunii, sonda va rămâne pe orbita planetei Marte pe durata unui an marţian, 687 de zile terestre, timp în care va capta imagini şi va studia atmosfera planetei şi schimbarea anotimpurilor.

Persons: Mohammed bin Rashid, Mohammed Al Mulla, Sheikh Mohammed, Mohammed al, NASA, EAU ., Hope, Richard Branson Organizations: Emiratele, AGERPRES, NASA, EAU, Virgin Locations: Emiratele Arabe Unite, EAU, Matrooshi, Houston, Statele Unite, ţara, Golf, Japonia, Dubai, Virgin Galactic

☆ Arina Sabalenka a câștigat turneul WTA de la Abu Dhabi
▼ + stars: | 2021-01-13 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: 1 min

Tenismena din Belarus a învins-o, în finală, cu scorul de 6-2, 6-2, pe rusoaica Veronika Kudermetova, locul 46 top-ul mondial, după un meci care a durat o oră şi cinci minute. În cadrul acestui turneu, Sabalenka a cedat doar un set, în meciul din sferturi cu Elena Rîbakina din Kazahstan.Sabalenka, în vârstă de 22 de ani, a cucerit, astfel, al nouălea titlu WTA din carieră, al treilea consecutiv şi a urcat până pe locul 7 în clasamentul mondial, cel mai bun din carieră.Sabalenka va fi remunerată cu peste 68 de mii de dolari de organizatorii turneului din Emirate și 470 de puncte WTA.De partea cealaltă, Veronika Kudermetova va fi recompensată cu un premiu de peste 50 de mii de dolari şi cu 305 puncte. Şi ea va înregistra cea mai bună clasare din carieră, locul 36 mondial.

Persons: Veronika Kudermetova, Sabalenka, Elena Locations: Tenismena, Belarus, Kazahstan.Sabalenka, carieră.Sabalenka

☆ Finalistele Arina Sabalenka și Veronika Kudermetova se vor întâlni în ultimul act al competiției de la Abu Dhabi
▼ + stars: | 2021-01-12 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: 1 min

S-au stabilit finalistele primului turneu WTA din acesta sezon! Arina Sabalenka și Veronika Kudermetova se vor întâlni în ultimul act al competiției de la Abu Dhabi.În prima semifinală, Sabalenka, în vârstă de 21 de ani, eliminat-o pe grecoaica Maria Sakkari, scor 6-3, 6-2, și a înregistrat, astfel, a 14-a victorie consecutivă. Partida dintre cele două a durat o oră și un minut.La rândul său, Kudermetova, numărul 46 în top-ul mondial, a învins-o în cealaltă semifinală a competiţiei din Emirate pe ucraineanca de 18 ani Marta Kostiuk, cu 7-6, 6-4.Tenismena rusă, care are 23 ani, nu a câştigat niciun titlu în cariera sa, în timp ce sportiva din Belarus, fost număr 2 mondial la dublu, vizează cu această ocazie al optulea său titlu la simplu în circuitul feminin de tenis.Până în prezent cele două tenismene nu s-au întâlnit niciodată.

Persons: Veronika Kudermetova, Marta Kostiuk Organizations: WTA Locations: Abu, Belarus

☆ Qatar şi Dubai au început miercuri campaniile de vaccinare împotriva COVID-19
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-24 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Începerea vaccinărilor în Dubai, unul dintre cele şapte emirate din componenţa Emiratelor Arabe Unite, are loc la o zi după livrarea primelor doze ce conţin vaccinul produs de alianţa americano-germană Pfizer-BioNTech.Angajaţii - localnici şi cetăţeni străini - din serviciile de ambulanţă, poliţie şi rutiere din Dubai se numără printre primele persoane care vor fi vaccinate, a precizat pe Twitter Biroul de Informaţii din acest emirat.Un prim lot cu doze de vaccin Pfizer-BioNTech a sosit marţi pe calea aerului la Dubai provenind de la Bruxelles, potrivit agenţiei de presă WAM. Compania aeriană Emirates a precizat că a realizat acest transport în regim de gratuitate.Potrivit Departamentului pentru Sănătate din Dubai, prima fază a campaniei de vaccinare îi vizează pe cetăţenii şi rezidenţii de peste 60 de ani, adulţii diagnosticaţi cu boli cronice şi persoanele care lucrează în sectoare implicate în lupta contra pandemiei de COVID-19.Guvernul federal, cu sediul la Abu Dhabi, cel mai important dintre cele şapte emirate, a anunţat marţi că a aprobat acest vaccin.Emiratul Abu Dhabi a anunţat deja încă din 14 decembrie începerea vaccinărilor, la cinci zile după aprobarea vaccinului produs de gigantul chinez Sinopharm. Conform presei locale, cel puţin 45 de spitale şi clinici din acest emirat au fost aprovizionate cu vaccinul chinez.În Qatar, prima persoană care a primit vaccinul a fost un profesor universitar în vârstă de 79 de ani, în prezent pensionar, potrivit unui comunicat publicat de Ministerul Sănătăţii şi difuzat sub forma unei notificări adresate utilizatorilor unei aplicaţii care monitorizează cazurile de COVID-19 şi care este obligatorie în această ţară.Primele doze cu vaccin Pfizer-BioNTech au sosit luni de la Bruxelles în acest emirat bogat în gaze naturale, la doar câteva ore după aprobarea vaccinului de către autorităţile din Qatar. Vaccinul va fi gratuit şi accesibil tuturor rezidenţilor pe bază de voluntariat, potrivit autorităţilor locale.În regiunea Golfului Persic, Kuweit şi Oman îşi vor începe campaniile de imunizare cu vaccinul Pfizer-BioNTech joi, respectiv duminică, în timp ce în Bahrain, care a aprobat vaccinurile Sinopharm şi Pfizer-BioNTech, această campanie a început deja.Arabia Saudită, ţara cel mai grav afectată din Peninsula Arabică, a început campania de imunizare, folosind vaccinul Pfizer-BioNTech, pe 17 decembrie, scrie agerpres.ro.

Persons: BioNTech, Abu Dhabi Organizations: Arabe Unite, Emirates Locations: Dubai, Arabe, Bruxelles, Abu Dhabi, Sinopharm, Qatar, Golfului Persic, Kuweit, Oman, Bahrain, Saudită, Peninsula Arabică

☆ Etiopia: Peste 100 de persoane ucise de un grup de bărbaţi înarmaţi
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-24 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

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