Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister on Friday expressed gratitude to Kuwait and the United States for their efforts to end the Qatar crisis, describing the talks to end the crisis as “fruitful.”
The remarks came hours after Kuwait’s foreign minister said there were positive developments.
"We look with great appreciation to the efforts of Kuwait in order to bridge between different points of view regarding the Gulf crisis, and we thank the Saudi efforts in this matter ,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister said in a tweet on Friday. “We are looking towards the success of these efforts for what is in the best interest of the region".
His remarks came just after Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah, Kuwait’s foreign minister, gave a brief statement on Kuwaiti state television. He said that discussions had been ongoing between parties under Kuwait’s new ruling emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, and President Donald Trump over the crisis.
“Fruitful discussions have taken place in the past period, where all parties affirmed their keenness on Gulf and Arab solidarity and stability and on reaching a final agreement that achieves the aspired permanent solidarity between their countries,” Sheikh Ahmed said.
The foreign minister thanked Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and one of his senior advisers. Kushner and other American officials just travelled to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to discuss regional developments in the waning days of the Trump administration.
Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE froze ties to Qatar on June 5, 2017 as a result of Qatar’s support for extremist groups in the region. Qatar has backed Islamist extremists around the Middle East boosting the security threats seen by the four states in the Arab Coalition.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Friday that Secretary General Antonio Guterres was encouraged by reports that the “Gulf rift is close to a resolution” and called for “unity” and an end to the crisis.
“The Secretary General welcomes the efforts and contributions of Kuwait in building bridges of understanding in the Gulf region and beyond and he hopes that all countries involved in the dispute will work together to formally resolve their differences,” said Mr Dujarric.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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
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
Fixtures
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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.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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
