00:00Good day. Welcome to the Gulf News Update for Monday, December the 9th. Here are the
00:09top stories at this hour.
00:11His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister
00:15of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, stressed Sunday that successful communities start by identifying
00:20good ideas and deciding which of these ideas to pursue. At the end of the first day of
00:26the National Brainstorming Session, Sheikh Mohammed said, should the UAE provide educational
00:31and health care services today the way it did 10 years ago, we would go back by 10 years.
00:37So new ideas must be generated. The first day of the cabinet retreat at Sir Paniyar's
00:42Island approved a teacher licensing system in line with professional standards and a
00:47program to evaluate the performance of public and private kindergarten schools. Thailand's
00:53Prime Minister announced today she will dissolve the lower house of Parliament and call early
00:57elections in an attempt to calm the country's deepening political crisis. The surprise move
01:02came as 100,000 protesters vowing to overthrow her government marched through the streets
01:08of Bangkok for a final showdown. It was not clear if Yingluck Shinavathra's move would
01:13satisfy protesters who say they want to rid Thailand of her politically powerful family's
01:18influence.
01:19The trial of Muslim Brotherhood Chief Mohammed Badi and other senior figures from the group
01:24begins today on charges of incitement to murder. Yesterday, Egyptian police fired tear gas
01:30in an attempt to disperse supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi protesting at Al-Azhar
01:35University in Cairo. Technical experts from Iran, world powers and the UN atomic watchdog
01:42begin two days of talks behind closed doors aimed at working out how last month's landmark
01:47nuclear deal will be implemented. Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his
01:52country is against the presence of foreign forces of any country in the region. Dubai's
01:59stock benchmark index closed at its highest in more than five years Sunday as the government
02:04announced regulations in the holiday home rental market. The new rules are expected
02:09to boost real estate and tourism sectors. The Dubai Financial Market General Index closed
02:15off 1.41 per cent higher to end at 3,055.95, its best close since October 2008. Sport and
02:25Everton snatched a 1-1 draw with leaders Arsenal and denied them a seven-point lead at the
02:31top of the English Premier League last night. The point earned, however, moves the Gunners
02:36five clear of Liverpool at the top of the table. In cricket, Indian skipper Mahendra
02:42Singh Dhoni came down heavily on his batsman for losing the second one-day international
02:47to South Africa by 134 runs. India also lost the series with last night's loss. Applauding
02:54his bowlers for sticking to their job, Dhoni blamed his batsman's poor shot selection for
02:59the debacle. And finally, the weather. Today's high across the UAE will be 28 degrees Celsius,
03:06dropping to 22 degrees at night.
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