Following the discovery online of potential ISIS sympathisers who have pledged to target FIFA World Cup fans, authorities said they had deployed the army, navy, and air force at a number of venues, including the Kaliningrad stadium where England will play Belgium on Thursday.
Russian state police said earlier on Wednesday that multiple bomb threats had been reported in Rostov-on-Don, a host city of the football games, forcing restaurants, hotels, and bars to be evacuated around the city late on Tuesday evening.
The Russian security agency responsible for counter-terrorism, the FSB, has been on high alert since the World Cup commenced on June 14. The force raided 17 locations across the country in April, arresting 20 terrorists plotting to target football games at various World Cup venues.
Members of an alleged terrorist cell supporting the ISIS group were also detained following an earlier raid in Rostov-on-Don in April, with supporters of the terror group releasing graphic propaganda showing beheadings of global football stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, ahead of the games.
Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Arkady Dvorkovich, said in May that such threats should not alarm the public, as the “security of people is our top priority. All our security forces are working in close preparation with [FIFA’s] organising committee”.
He added that Russia is an experienced host of global sporting events, hosting the 2014 Winter Olympic Games at Sochi during a time of political tension in the North Caucasus region.
"We know how to do those things," Mr Dvorkovich said. "We had experience with the Olympic Games in Sochi, and other big international events”.
Alexei Lavrishchev, security chief of the World Cup, told the BBC before the World Cup commenced that the security measures taken are “unprecedented”, with “sufficient measures in place to ensure that football fans, tourists, and Russian citizens will feel comfortable and safe”.
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Read more: Russian police evacuate venues in World Cup host city after bomb threats
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Spezia v Lazio (6pm), Juventus v Torino (9pm), Inter Milan v Bologna (7.45pm)
Sunday Verona v Cagliari (3.30pm), Parma v Benevento, AS Roma v Sassuolo, Udinese v Atalanta (all 6pm), Crotone v Napoli (9pm), Sampdoria v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Monday Fiorentina v Genoa (11.45pm)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
