In a world afflicted by conflict and the suffering of innocent victims of war, there are few people who know more about the value – and challenges – of making peace than the 78-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari.
So when the former president of Finland speaks out about the tragedy of a lost opportunity to bring peace to Syria, as he did this week, it’s not unreasonable to speculate about the tens of thousands who might still be alive today but for an extraordinary and complacent failure of diplomacy.
In 2008, Ahtisaari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for “his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts”.
He had been there, working behind the scenes to solve many of the world’s apparently intractable conflicts. His triumphs included helping to oversee the disarming of the IRA in Northern Ireland, bringing down the curtain on Namibia’s 25-year war of independence in 1990, coaxing the parties in the complex Kosovo War to stumble towards an end to bloodshed in 1999 and ushering to an end in 2005 the three-decade battle for independence fought by Indonesia’s Aceh province.
In short, as Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary general and fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate once said, Ahtisaari “is the only person I know who has successfully built peace on three different continents”.
But on February 22, 2012, Ahtisaari lost a crucial behind-the-scenes battle at the United Nations in New York to end the nightmare that Syria had already become, and which would escalate into the refugee crisis now testing the world.
What he disclosed this week in an interview with Britain's Guardian newspaper was as astonishing as it was shocking, and casts an even starker light on the failure of the world community to intervene decisively to end Syria's torment.
Publicly, Russia has always stood by the Syrian president Bashar Al Assad. But Ahtisaari says that during meetings in 2012 with representatives of the permanent five nations of the UN, the Russian envoy told him it was time “to find an elegant way for Assad to step aside”.
Had that happened, countless Syrians might have been spared the loss of their homes and lives, and the indignity and danger of fleeing as refugees.
The Russian diplomat was Vitaly Churkin – who, diplomatically, has declined to comment on “a private conversation” – and Ahtisaari says he immediately passed on what he knew was a direct message from the Kremlin to the British, French and American missions at the UN.
But "nothing happened", the Finn told The Guardian. The western powers, already hesitant to become embroiled, were so "convinced that Assad would be thrown out of office in a few weeks" they decided no action, elegant or otherwise, was necessary.
Ahtisaari’s credibility is buttressed by the fact that he had been dispatched to the UN on his Syrian mission as a member of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders, chaired by Annan, who work together for peace and human rights around the world.
It’s an exclusive club, whose members have included Jimmy Carter and Nelson Mandela, and how Ahtisaari came to be a member is an inspirational story to give hope to the most despairing refugee.
The seeds of Ahtisaari’s determination to help the innocent victims of war and oppression were sown during his childhood. Born in 1937 in Viipuri, a city then in Finland and now in Russia, Ahtisaari and his mother, Tyyne, were driven from their home, along with 70,000 other refugees, during the Winter War between Finland and the USSR in 1939.
Earlier this month, just a few days before his revelations in The Guardian, Ahtisaari spoke about the formative experience at an event in London to mark the publication of The Mediator, a biography on Ahtisaari written by two Finnish authors.
“I very soon realised I would become an eternally displaced person because I could never return to where I was born because it was not part of my country,” he told an audience at the School of Oriental and African Studies.
The experience of being a refugee, said Ahtisaari, had “definitely influenced me ... If I could be of any use, I would try to use my own experience to promote compassion for refugees”.
Ahtisaari rose from relative obscurity as a civil servant in the Finnish foreign ministry to become one of the most respected players in the field of international conflict resolution.
After graduating from Finland’s Oulu university in 1959 as a teacher, in 1960, Ahtisaari moved to Karachi, where he ran a YMCA school. His experiences in Pakistan set him on a path. Returning to Finland, in 1965, he joined the foreign ministry, serving in roles linked to the country’s aid programme.
But it was in 1973, at the age of 36, that Ahtisaari found his true talent, for diplomacy, when he was appointed Finland’s ambassador to Tanzania.
It was in this post that Ahtisaari began his long relationship with the fortunes of war-torn Namibia, which would later make him an honorary citizen out of gratitude for his efforts.
Serving first as a member of the senate of the UN Institute for Namibia between 1975 and 1976, in 1977, he was appointed the UN commissioner for the country. From 1978 to 1988, he was special representative of the secretary general.
In 1984, Ahtisaari returned to Finland to work once more in international development at its foreign ministry, but in 1987, he was invited to New York by the then UN secretary general Javier Pérez de Cuéllar to serve as under-secretary general for administration and management.
The following year, fate took a hand. On December 21, 1988, PanAm flight 103 was brought down by a bomb over the Scottish town Lockerbie, killing all 259 people on board. Among them was Bernt Carlsson, a successor UN commissioner for Namibia, and Ahtisaari was sent in his place to head the United Nations Transition Assistance Group, which shepherded the country towards independence in 1989.
As Ahtisaari’s Nobel biography notes, after 13 years of involvement with Namibia for the UN, “his first peacemaking task resulted in the independence, [an] experience [that] has had crucial importance in his later work”.
In his Nobel Prize speech in 2008, Ahtisaari reflected on what he had learnt from the resolution of the Namibian nightmare. It was, he said, “almost unbelievable that we managed to get all the key actors ... to work towards a shared goal”.
The lesson was that “a durable solution can only be found if one is also prepared to engage in discussions with your political opponents”.
A paper for the Brookings Institute in the same year gave an insight into Ahtisaari’s negotiating skills. To great effect, wrote the author, he combined “immense personal charm with a tough, no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to conducting negotiations”.
One of the players in the Aceh negotiations put it this way: “His method was really extraordinary. He said: ‘Do you want to win or do you want peace?’”
In 1994, Ahtisaari was elected president of Finland, a post he held until 2000, helping to steer his country through a recession and to membership of the European Union.
On leaving office, Ahtisaari founded the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), an organisation dedicated to helping the international community “enhance its capacity when it comes to preventive diplomacy [and] peace-building”.
As the Christian Monitor noted in 2006, "the reputation of the self-deprecating former Finnish president as an impartial mediator" had made him "the 'go-to' guy for international crises".
In London earlier this month, Ahtisaari spoke of his persisting faith in a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
“We should have concentrated on a political solution,” he said. “I still believe that has to be done.”
Such an approach remained possible despite the brand of violent extremism peddled by ISIL and other groups. The key, he believed, lay in engaging with Muslims “who reject the fundamentalist distortion of their beliefs ... The whole world is against [ISIL]. They are not representatives of the Muslim world.”
Last year, CMI celebrated its 15th anniversary. Its motto, and Ahtisaari’s creed, is “All conflicts can be resolved”.
“Wars and conflicts are not inevitable,” he said during his Nobel speech in Oslo in 2008. “They are caused by human beings. There are always interests that are furthered by war. Therefore, those who have power and influence can also stop them ... we should not accept any excuses from those in power. Peace is a question of will.”
Three years ago, to Ahtisaari’s dismay, that will was not to be found in New York.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The years Ramadan fell in May
The five pillars of Islam
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Prophets of Rage
(Fantasy Records)
Thanksgiving meals to try
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m. Winner: Majd Al Megirat, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Ahmed Al Shehhi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: Dassan Da, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Heba Al Wathba, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Harbour Spirit, Adrie de Vries, Jaber Ramadhan.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE BIO
Occupation: Specialised chief medical laboratory technologist
Age: 78
Favourite destination: Always Al Ain “Dar Al Zain”
Hobbies: his work - “ the thing which I am most passionate for and which occupied all my time in the morning and evening from 1963 to 2019”
Other hobbies: football
Favorite football club: Al Ain Sports Club
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Alita: Battle Angel
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson
Four stars
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
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We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
RESULTS
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
More on Quran memorisation:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
Name: buybackbazaar.com
Started: January 2018
Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech, micro finance
Initial investment: $1 million
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041mm%2C%20352%20x%20430%3B%2045mm%2C%20396%20x%20484%3B%20Retina%20LTPO%20OLED%2C%20up%20to%201000%20nits%2C%20always-on%3B%20Ion-X%20glass%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20S8%2C%20W3%20wireless%2C%20U1%20ultra-wideband%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2032GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20watchOS%209%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EHealth%20metrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203rd-gen%20heart%20rate%20sensor%2C%20temperature%20sensing%2C%20ECG%2C%20blood%20oxygen%2C%20workouts%2C%20fall%2Fcrash%20detection%3B%20emergency%20SOS%2C%20international%20emergency%20calling%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GPS%2FGPS%20%2B%20cellular%3B%20Wi-Fi%2C%20LTE%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%20(Apple%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDurability%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20IP6X%2C%20water%20resistant%20up%20to%2050m%2C%20dust%20resistant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20308mAh%20Li-ion%2C%20up%20to%2018h%2C%20wireless%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20eSIM%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinishes%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Aluminium%20%E2%80%93%20midnight%2C%20Product%20Red%2C%20silver%2C%20starlight%3B%20stainless%20steel%20%E2%80%93%20gold%2C%20graphite%2C%20silver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Watch%20Series%208%2C%20magnetic-to-USB-C%20charging%20cable%2C%20band%2Floop%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Starts%20at%20Dh1%2C599%20(41mm)%20%2F%20Dh1%2C999%20(45mm)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
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The Lowdown
Us
Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseqph, Evan Alex and Elisabeth Moss
Rating: 4/5
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
The%20Color%20Purple
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBlitz%20Bazawule%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFantasia%20Barrino%2C%20Taraji%20P%20Henson%2C%20Danielle%20Brooks%2C%20Colman%20Domingo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
THE BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Whenever I have any free time I always go back to see my family in Caltra, Galway, it’s the only place I can properly relax.
Favourite film: The Way, starring Martin Sheen. It’s about the Camino de Santiago walk from France to Spain.
Personal motto: If something’s meant for you it won’t pass you by.
The biog
Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981
Profession: Driver
Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)
Favourite drink: chai karak
Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”
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Read more about the coronavirus
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
RESULT
Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern: Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')
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
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
