Jordan's boxing brothers Hussein and Zeyad Ishaish will set a number of firsts when they lace up their gloves in Paris this summer.
Hussein, the elder of the two at 28, will be competing at his third Games. He reached the quarter-finals at super heavyweight in Rio, where he lost to eventual gold medallist Tony Yoka of France; and the quarter-finals at heavyweight in Tokyo, where he bowed out to Brazil’s Abner Texeira, who went on to claim bronze.
This summer he will drop down in weight again to compete at light heavyweight (80kg), making him the first man to feature at three separate Olympic boxing competitions all at different weights.
He will be joined in Paris by younger brother Zeyad, 25, just as he was in Tokyo three years ago, with the official Olympics website suggesting it will be the first time that brothers have boxed alongside each other in successive Games.
"This shot wouldn’t have been possible without the dreams and ambition driving me over the past three years," said Hussein on Instagram after his place in Paris was confirmed.
"My qualification for the Tokyo Olympics allowed me to dream even bigger. My goal now is to win a medal for my home country, Jordan. Now that I have secured my spot in the ring in Paris, nothing can stand in the way of my dream of raising the Jordanian flag on the podium.
"I thank everyone who stood beside me. Your support enabled me to hold this ticket, and I promise you that the best is yet to come in Paris."
Hussein narrowly missed out on the podium in each of his Olympic appearances, coming fifth both in Rio and Tokyo. He became the first Jordanian boxer to make it to the quarter-finals of an Olympic Games but is now determined to go a step further and reach the medal bouts in Paris.
"At Rio in 2016 I faced a Romanian opponent in my first bout and I became the first Jordanian boxer to make it to the quarter-finals," he said. "Then I lost to the French boxer [Tony Yoka] who later won gold. When I saw him on the podium I realised that I could do it."
Younger brother Zeyad finished ninth at light middleweight (71kg) on his Olympic debut three years ago. But, having beaten Ireland's highly rated Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Aidan Walsh on his way to qualification, he is hopeful of making a much bigger impact in Paris.
The brothers have steadily improved in recent years, with standout performances at the 2022 Asian Championships where Hussein clinched gold and Zeyad took silver.
The pair started boxing at a youth centre in Al Baqaa camp in Jordan and come from a large fighting family. “Fifteen athletes have carried the family name in boxing, including my brothers Zeyad and Zaid,” Hussein told Jordan News.
Jordan will take a third boxer, Obada Al Kasbeh, to Paris along with four taekwondo athletes, meaning their medal hopes are largely focused on combat sports with the Ishaish brothers at the forefront.
Training alongside one another means they have never been short of a sparring partner, and the pursuit of their shared Olympic dream has created a special bond between them.
"We are more than just brothers, we are friends," explained Zeyad. "We used to box against each other and our ambition was to qualify for the Olympics. Thank God we made it.
"We are the type of brothers who spent their lifetime together, people think we are friends not brothers.
"It's a great feeling to be qualified for the Olympics. After I saw my brother compete in 2016, I was really motivated to join him one day and book our tickets together."
Hussein added: "We are used to being roommates on every trip, we like to hang out together. People usually go out with their friends to have fun, but we prefer to have fun together."
Their latest trip was to Bangkok for last month's Olympic boxing world qualification tournament. Hussein booked his third consecutive spot at the Games with victory in the men’s 80kg final, defeating Armenia’s Rafayel Hovhannisyan.
He later revealed he had been inspired by his brother's victory over Walsh in the 71kg category the previous day.
"This was a very special win [over Hovhannisyan], especially because Zeyad qualified in the match right before mine. He qualified one day before me," said Hussein.
"Let me tell you what happened. Zeyad qualified one day before me. My qualifying match was scheduled for the following day. Zeyad told me that Paris wouldn’t be the same if I weren’t there competing alongside him. He said he would feel even happier if I qualified.
"When my brother Zeyad won, I was very motivated. My morale was already high, but I became more driven. Thank God, he gave me a boost of positive energy."
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
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'Midnights'
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
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
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Squads
India (for first three ODIs) Kohli (capt), Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Jadhav, Rahane, Dhoni, Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Umesh, Shami.
Australia Smith (capt), Warner, Agar, Cartwright, Coulter-Nile, Cummins, Faulkner, Finch, Head, Maxwell, Richardson, Stoinis, Wade, Zampa.
Calls
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Karen Gillian, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
4/5
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Victims%20of%20the%202018%20Parkland%20school%20shooting
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Mountain%20Boy
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zainab%20Shaheen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Naser%20Al%20Messabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
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
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Meydan racecard:
6.30pm: Handicap | US$135,000 (Dirt) | 1,400 metres
7.05pm: Handicap | $135,000 (Turf) | 1,200m
7.40pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (T) | 2,000m
8.15pm: UAE Oaks | Group 3 | $250,000 (D) | 1,900m
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile | Group 2 | $250,000 (T) | 1,600m
9.20pm: Handicap | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
Pakistan Super League
Previous winners
2016 Islamabad United
2017 Peshawar Zalmi
2018 Islamabad United
2019 Quetta Gladiators
Most runs Kamran Akmal – 1,286
Most wickets Wahab Riaz –65
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000