Fifa has not yet decided who will present the World Cup trophy to the winning captain on Sunday.
Nelson Mandela, the former South Africa president, is likely to perform the honour if the 91-year-old anti-apartheid figure is well enough to attend the match at Soccer City.
But Nicolas Maingot, a Fifa spokesman, said yesterday there is "no information on this so far."
Simon Wright, a British tabloid journalist, will go to trial in a South African court after prosecutors rejected his bid to have charges related to the tournament dropped.
Wright was arrested and charged with helping Pavlos Joseph illegally enter the England dressing room after their goalless draw against Algeria in Cape Town on June 18.
The reporter, who had to surrender his passport and has to report to Cape Town police station every day, will be asked to plea when his trial starts on Saturday in the Cape Town Magistrates court.
Joseph agreed to pay a 750 rand (Dh357) fine and prosecutors dropped criminal proceedings against the England fan last week. Wright is a reporter for the Sunday Mirror, who sent the London-based lawyer Paul Mottram to assist their employee's defence.
World Cup organisers promise a high-tech closing ceremony featuring pop star Shakira, compared to the more traditionally African ceremony which opened the tournament. Jermaine Craig, an organising committee spokesman, said Sunday's show at Soccer City will be "more youthful and a bit more technologically advanced" than the June 11 opening ceremony. Shakira, the Colombian pop singer, will perform the official tournament anthem Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).
The total attendences for the World Cup passed the three million-mark at the Germany-Spain match last night. Fifa says 2,997,000 people attended the previous 61 matches, for an average of 49,134. The figures place South Africa third in both categories, behind the 1994 tournament in the United States and the 2006 edition in Germany since the World Cup was expanded to at least 24 teams and 52 matches in 1982. The 1994 World Cup set records with 3.59 million fans.
Vuvuzelas, the plastic horns,which will forever by synonymous with this World Cup, have been banned in New Zealand for Saturday's Tri Nations rugby union Test match between the All Blacks and South Africa in Auckland.
Inter Milan have no intention of listening to offers for playmaker Wesley Sneijder amid reported interest from Manchester United, Massimo Moratti, the Inter president, said yesterday. Sneijder was instrumental in Inter winning the Champions League and a domestic double last term while he has helped guide Holland to the World Cup final. Asked if United had made a bid for the Dutchman, Moratti told reporters: "I think so but I don't know. I didn't want to ask too much about it so as not to fall into temptation."
Amsterdam authorities say they expect at least 100,000 football fans to flock to Museum Square to watch Holland's first final in 32 years. The Dutch have never won the World Cup, but reached the final in 1974 and 1978. Also, a huge screen will be erected at the North Sea Jazz Festival, which brings top international musicians to Rotterdam for one of Europe's largest annual music events. Organisers fear that the football will siphon off attendance. Win or lose Sunday's final, the players will be welcomed home on Tuesday with a massive parade through Amsterdam's canals. At least 1.5 million people - twice the city's resident population - are expected to attend.
Nigeria's anti-corruption agency said it is investigating current and former leaders of the nation's football federation. Femi Babafemi, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission spokesman, told the Associated Press that the investigation centres on Sani Lulu, the former president, and Amanze Ugbulam, the former vice president. Babafemi said yesterday that investigators are also looking at Taiwo Ogunjobi, a former technical committee member, and Bolaji Ojo-Oba, the current general secretary. Babafemi made his comments after Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigeria president, backed down on his threat to suspend the federation after Nigeria's poor performance at the World Cup.
Specs
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Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
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Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
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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)
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
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately