00:00Good day. Welcome to the Gulf News Update for Thursday, February 6th. Here are the top
00:09stories at this hour. Egypt's top military commander, Abdel Fattah
00:13al-Sisi, said in comments published today that he has decided to run in the presidential
00:17elections scheduled for April. Al-Sisi said he had no choice but to respond to the call
00:21of the Egyptian people. Iraqi authorities are detaining thousands of women illegally
00:26and subjecting many to torture and ill-treatment, including the threat of sexual abuse. Human
00:31Rights Watch said in a report that many women were detained for years without charges before
00:35seeing a judge. The U.S. Homeland Security Department has
00:39warned airlines flying to Russia that terrorists could try to smuggle explosives on board hidden
00:44in toothpaste tubes. The threat was passed on to airlines that have direct flights to
00:48Russia. The first events, meanwhile, got underway at the Winter Olympics today with Britain's
00:52Billy Morgan the first competitor in action in snowboarding. Alpine skiers will be in
00:56training ahead of tomorrow's official opening ceremony.
00:59More than a million homes and businesses were left in darkness and cold last night after
01:03snow, sleet and freezing rain moved into the northeast United States. The region's second
01:08winter storm of the week cancelled classes, closed government and business offices and
01:12sent cars and trucks sliding on slippery roads and highways. In sport, Real Madrid and Barcelona
01:17took significant steps towards setting up an El Clasico Spanish Cup final with victories
01:22in their semi-final first legs last night. Real beat Atletico 3-0 while Afrique Ongold
01:27helped Barca overcome Real Sociedad 2-0. Cricket and centuries from Kane Williamson
01:33and Brendan McCallum ensured New Zealand hold the upper hand after the first day of the
01:37first test against India in Auckland. The Black Caps closed on 329-4 with Zaheer Khan
01:43and Ishan Sharma taking two wickets each for the tourists.
01:47The New York theatre community mourned Philip Seymour Hoffman last night with Broadway's
01:51mighty marquee lights dimmed in his honour. A vigil and prayer meeting was held outside
01:55the Labyrinth Theatre Company where Hoffman had been a long-time member.
01:59Closer to home, sopranos Sarah Brightman and Bollywood pop stars Sunita Chauhan and
02:03Mika Singh performed tonight at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Sharjah, meanwhile, lights
02:08up with the opening of the fourth edition of Sharjah Light Festival. But if it's food
02:11that interests you, head to the capital for Abu Dhabi gourmet.
02:15And finally, the weather. Today's high crossed the UAE with 20 degrees Celsius dropping to
02:1914 at night.
02:20That's all for now. Thanks for watching. We will be back with the newscast on Sunday,
02:25but as always, you can get the latest news on golfnews.com
Comments