After months of tough endurance tests, more than 4,000 applicants to be the first Emirati in space have been whittled down to one. On Friday the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre announced that Hazza Al Mansouri will plant the UAE flag on the International Space Station later this year, completing a lifelong dream for the 34-year-old military pilot, whose fascination with the cosmos began as a child stargazing on desert trips.
It is the culmination of a series of physical and psychological tests and months of training in Russia – but when he sets off on September 29, that will no doubt feel like a small price to pay. On his shoulders, Mr Al Mansouri will carry the hopes and aspirations of his nation, and the wider Arab world. Equally deserving of praise is his colleague and back-up Sultan Al Neyadi. Both men have approached the mission with much determination and team spirit, in the knowledge that the collective aspirations of the UAE eclipse individual triumph. Only one will go to space but both are heroes.
Since the nation first dreamed of exploring new frontiers in 2006, it has channelled resources and expertise into the space race, where there are many contenders and a fierce competition to stake claim to new records, from missions to satellites. The culmination of this process will be the UAE's bid to build the first human colony on Mars by 2117. Mr Al Mansouri is the face of those aspirations and an entire nation will rally behind him as he embarks on his mission. For a country which is not yet 50, it is an astonishing demonstration of growth and an ability to turn ambition into reality. turn ambition into reality.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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