Elena Rybakina returns as Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open confirms complete line-up


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Elena Rybakina will be the highest-ranked player at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open next month after organisers on Tuesday released the complete line-up for the WTA 500 tournament.

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Rybakina, the world No 3, returns to Abu Dhabi for the February 3-11 event at Zayed Sports City's International Tennis Centre, having reached the quarter-finals last year. She also made the last eight of the Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open, held in 2021 as a one-off event during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 24-year-old Kazakh will be joined in Abu Dhabi by fellow top-10 players Maria Sakkari of Greece and the Czech Republic’s former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.

Tunisian star and world No 6 Ons Jabeur was announced as the tournament's headline star last October, while Brazil's 11th-ranked Beatriz Haddad Maia was confirmed to play last week.

In all, half of the WTA Tour's top 20 will compete at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, including Latvia's Jeļena Ostapenko, last year's finalist Liudmila Samsonova, Daria Kasatkina, Veronika Kudermetova, and Caroline Garcia of France.

Britain's Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, was this week given a wildcard, while other players confirmed include Poland’s Magda Linette, Sorana Cirstea of Romania, Anastasia Potapova, Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina and Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.

Switzerland's Belinda Bencic won the inaugural tournament but at present is not returning to defend her title.

“We are delighted to announce such a strong draw for this year’s event, and with 10 of the world’s top 20 players competing, it promises to be a truly special tournament," said tournament director Nigel Gupta.

“With fantastic talents such as Ons Jabeur, Beatriz Haddad Maia and Emma Raducanu confirmed, there was already a huge sense of excitement ahead of the event.

“This additional list of players undoubtedly adds to the anticipation, with tennis fans in Abu Dhabi and the UAE having the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world compete for the title in less than one month’s time.”

Based on rankings and early-season form, Rybakina will be among the favourites for the title in Abu Dhabi. The 2022 Wimbledon champion began 2024 in fine style by winning the Brisbane International, thrashing world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the final to install herself among the leading contenders at next week's Australian Open.

However, Rybakina will face stiff competition from the likes of Jabeur, the world No 6 and three-time Grand Slam finalist, world No 8 Sakkari and 10th-ranked Krejcikova. World No 12 Ostapenko, a six-time winner on the WTA Tour and a French Open champion in 2017, will also be confident of her chances in Abu Dhabi.

“The field for this year’s Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open is packed full of talent and we are looking forward to another fantastic tournament," said WTA chief executive officer Steven Simon.

“Abu Dhabi was the perfect location for last year's inaugural event, which produced some fantastic entertainment both on and off court.

“We are hugely excited about heading back to the UAE and we know tennis fans in the country will create another memorable occasion."

Six players will be added to the draw through qualifying, while there are three additional wildcard slots available after the first of those was awarded to Raducanu.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.mubadalaabudhabiopen.com.

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Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics

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Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates 

 

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The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning. 
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. 
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
 

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MATCH INFO

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Cahill (3'), Kane (39')

Nigeria 1
Iwobi (47')

Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?

The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.

The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.

He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.

He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.

He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.

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Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

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What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)

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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

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Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big

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  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Defining head lice

Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.

Identifying lice

Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.

Treating lice at home

Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.

Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital

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Gulf Under 19s final

Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B

Match info

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Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs

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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

West Asia rugby, season 2017/18 - Roll of Honour

Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain

Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons

West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins

UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles

UAE Premiership - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Tuesday's fixtures
Group A
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Iran v Uzbekistan, 8pm
N Korea v UAE, 10.15pm
Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

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116 pitches

76 nations

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15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

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Updated: January 09, 2024, 1:04 PM`