00:00Good day and welcome to the Gulf News Update for Sunday, January the 5th.
00:08Here are the top stories at this hour.
00:11Those looking forward to a quiet barbecue on the beach during the New Year's Eve in
00:15Dubai were disappointed.
00:16In a major change from its usual practice of a verbal reprimand, Dubai municipality
00:21has started issuing fines of up to 1,000 dirhams to people who hold barbecues in undesignated
00:27areas.
00:28A senior civic official confirmed that the rule prohibiting bonfires and barbecuing on
00:32public beaches has been in place since 2010.
00:36The US Secretary of State voiced confidence today that Iraq would be successful in its
00:41fight against Al-Qaeda.
00:42John Kerry also said Washington was not considering sending troops back to Iraq.
00:47On Saturday, the Iraqi government lost control of the strategic city of Fallujah, officials
00:52and witnesses said.
00:54Protesters firebombed polling stations and attacked police as Bangladesh went ahead with
00:59a violence-plagued election boycotted by the opposition.
01:03With a fear of attacks expected to limit turnout and around 150 people killed in the build-up
01:08to the vote, tens of thousands of troops have been deployed across the country today.
01:13But police said that more than 100 polling stations had been attacked since late Saturday.
01:18Many parts of the US Midwest braced for a blast of Arctic air that could bring some
01:23of the coldest temperatures in two decades before advancing to the Northeast.
01:28Starting today, the deep freeze will be felt in the northern US plains and through the
01:32Great Lakes region and the Ohio Valley.
01:35It will be some of the coldest weather to grip the region in two decades.
01:40Business and Nakheel will be retiring part of its debts with banks more than a year before
01:44they are due.
01:46The move comes on the back of an upbeat Dubai realty market and significant growth in the
01:51company's cash position.
01:53Chairman Ali Rashid Lutar said Nakheel intends to pay the first tranche of 2.35 billion dirhams
01:59by end February and another 1.65 billion dirhams later in the year.
02:04In sport, Australia crushed England by 281 runs to claim a 5-0 Ashes series whitewash
02:11on the third day of the final test in Sydney today.
02:14England were bundled out for 166, chasing an improbable target of 448 runs.
02:21Ryan Harris captured five wickets for 25 and Man of the Series Mitchell Johnson 3 for 40
02:27to rout the tourists.
02:29After spending Christmas in Australia with Angelina Jolie and their children, Hollywood
02:34star Brad Pitt said hello to Dubai as he stopped by on a brief layover on Friday.
02:40Accompanied by son Maddox, 50-year-old Pitt was seen shopping for gold at Dubai International
02:45Airport's Duty Free at midnight.
02:48The World War Z star flew down under last month to join Jolie and their six children
02:53as she works on her film Unbroken.
02:56And finally, the weather.
02:57Today's high across the UAE will be 24 degrees Celsius, dropping to 17 at night.
03:02That's all for now.
03:03Thanks for watching.
03:04And as always, you can get the latest news at gulfnews.com
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