00:00Good day. Welcome to the Gulf News Update for Wednesday, December 4. Here are the top
00:09stories at this hour.
00:11One of the leaders of Hezbollah has been killed outside his home southeast of Beirut. Hezbollah
00:17says Hassan Laqis was assassinated and has blamed Israel for his death. The news comes
00:22a day after the head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said Saudi Arabia was behind last
00:27month's bombing outside the Iranian embassy in Beirut. Nasrallah also admitted he recently
00:33received an envoy from Qatar, the first contact between the two sides since divisions over
00:37the crisis in Syria severed their once-strong relations.
00:42The Rolling Stones will perform in Abu Dhabi on February 21, next year. Following a tweet
00:47last week in which the British rock legends teased fans in the UAE by writing in Arabic
00:51about surprises, the band today announced a date at the Dew Arena on Yas Island to make
00:56their debut in the country as part of their 14 on Fire tour. Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood,
01:02Keith Richards and Charlie Watts will be joined by former member Mick Taylor on stage as a
01:07special guest. Tickets go on sale December 9.
01:10Britain's new envoy to Tehran has visited Iran, becoming the first British diplomat
01:15to travel to the country since ties were severed in 2011. AJ Sharma, who is making his first
01:21trip in his new role as non-resident-charged affairs, held detailed and constructive talks
01:26with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Habibullahzadeh. US Secretary of State John Kerry returns to
01:32Israel today, at a time of heated debate in the Jewish state over its alliance with Washington.
01:38The visit will be his first since world powers, including the US, on November 24 signed an
01:43interim nuclear accord with Iran that has angered Israel. More than 2.2 million guests
01:49checked into Abu Dhabi's 148 hotels and hotel apartments during the first 10 months of 2013,
01:55resulting in $1.17 billion of revenue. The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority said
02:01the number represents a 16% growth compared to last year.
02:06The Gulf Monetary Council has dismissed reports that it had set a date to launch the single
02:10currency for Arab Gulf countries. Media reports this week said that four of the six GCC states
02:17would announce the introduction of a common currency by the end of December.
02:21Sport and world No. 4 Shanshan Feng begins the defense of her Omega Dubai Ladies Masters
02:27title at Emirates Golf Club today. The Chinese player will be up against the likes of Rookie
02:32of the Year contenders Charlie Hull and Holly Clyburn, as well as veteran Laura Davies,
02:38in the 500,000 Euro Ladies European Tour season-ending event.
02:42Cricket and captain Michael Clarke says Australia will stick with their winning combination
02:46for the second Ashes Test against England, which starts tomorrow.
02:50The autopsy on actor Paul Walker and his friend Roger Rodas are complete and will be released
02:55today. The results will show who was driving the Porsche that crashed and burned, killing
03:00both on Saturday. Meanwhile, Universal Pictures is expected to go forward with The Fast and
03:06Furious 7, but it has not announced how it will adjust the movie or handle Walker's unfinished
03:11performance.
03:12And finally, weather. Today's high across the UAE will be 27 degrees Celsius, dropping
03:17to 19 degrees at night.
03:19That's all for now. Thanks for watching. And as always, you can get the latest news at
03:23golfnews.com.
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