Leaders from around the world offered festive greetings to Muslims on Tuesday as they celebrated Eid Al Adha.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman said on Twitter that his country was honoured by God to be the custodian of the two Holy Mosques and to serve pilgrims every year.
“We thank God Almighty who has honoured us with the service of the two Holy Mosques, and that is the greatest of blessings that God has bestowed upon us,” he said.
“And with the advent of the blessed Eid Al Adha, we ask God to remove all harm from us and the world, and we hope for good in the coming days.”
Eid Al Adha, or “the Feast of Sacrifice,” is typically marked by communal prayers, large social gatherings, the slaughtering of livestock and the distribution of meat to poor people.
This year, the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus prompted some countries to introduce restrictions.
Others appealed for people to avoid congregating and reminded them to follow safety protocol.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement saying this Eid would be particularly special, with widespread vaccination enabling many people to gather with loved ones and friends at last.
“If we continue to follow public health guidelines and get our Covid-19 vaccines as soon as it’s our turn, we will beat this virus and will be able to celebrate together next year,” he said.
“To everyone celebrating: Eid Mubarak!”
The US also tweeted to Muslim communities around the globe.
“We wish a happy Eid al-Adha to all who are celebrating in the United States and around the world. May your time during this holiday be filled with the values of sacrifice and charity,” the State Department said.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was also keen to offer his Eid greetings to “Muslims celebrating here in the UK and across the world”.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, is batting a devastating new wave of coronavirus cases.
Its vice president Maruf Amin, who is also an influential Islamic cleric, appealed to people to perform holiday prayers at home with their families.
“Don’t do crowds,” Mr Amin said in televised remarks before the holiday. “Protecting oneself from the Covid-19 pandemic is obligatory.”
The surge is believed to have been fuelled by travel during the Eid Al Fitr festival in May and by the rapid spread of the Delta variant.
In Malaysia, measures have been tightened after a sharp rise in infections despite a national lockdown since June 1.
People are barred from travelling back to their home towns or crossing districts to celebrate. House visits and customary trips to cemeteries are also forbidden.
Lockdowns will severely curtail Eid Al Adha festivities in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s two largest cities.
Sydney resident Jihad Dib, a New South Wales state government politician, said the city’s Muslims were sad but understood why they would be confined to their homes with no visitors allowed.
“It’s going to be the first Eid in my life I don’t hug and kiss my mum and dad,” Mr Dib told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
In Iran, a week-long lockdown came into effect in the capital, Tehran, and the surrounding region. The country is struggling with a surge in coronavirus cases, state media reported.
In Bangladesh, however, authorities have allowed an eight-day pause in the country’s strict lockdown for the holiday. Health experts say this could be dangerous.
In Egypt, Essam Shaban travelled to the southern province of Sohag to spend Eid Al Adha with his family. Before the holiday, he said he planned to pray at a mosque there on Tuesday while taking precautions such as bringing his own prayer rug and wearing a mask.
“We want this Eid to pass by peacefully without any infections,” he said. “We must follow instructions.”
In Saudi Arabia, pilgrims returned to the Grand Mosque in Makkah from the Muzdalifah plains early in the morning to start the Jamarat stoning of the devil ceremony.
The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims with the means to travel at least once in their lifetime.
It is usually one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, but owing to the pandemic it is open to fewer pilgrims for the second year running.
Pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat, where it is believed the Prophet Mohammed delivered his final sermon, for the most important of the Hajj rituals.
The mask-clad faithful camped in the Valley of Mina on Monday.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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DSC Eagles 23 Dubai Hurricanes 36
Eagles
Tries: Bright, O’Driscoll
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey 3
Hurricanes
Tries: Knight 2, Lewis, Finck, Powell, Perry
Cons: Powell 3
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENetflix%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKris%20Fade%2C%20Ebraheem%20Al%20Samadi%2C%20Zeina%20Khoury%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
Ready Player One
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
RESULTS
5pm: Rated Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
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6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
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6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
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7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
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7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
Specs
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Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.
Brief scores:
Toss: South Africa, chose to field
Pakistan: 177 & 294
South Africa: 431 & 43-1
Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0
Zayed Sustainability Prize
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
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