00:00Good day. Welcome to the Gulf News Update for Thursday, February 13. Here are the top
00:09stories at this hour.
00:10The UAE leadership was always confident of successfully overcoming the global economic
00:15crisis, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister
00:19of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, said yesterday. Speaking to the media at the conclusion of
00:23the second government summit in Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed said, I remember calling the days
00:27of the crisis as days of major challenge. I was adamant on facing the challenge with
00:31determination, our own capabilities and my faith in Allah.
00:35Activists have reported a surge in fighting across Syria amid attempts to broker a peace
00:39deal in Geneva. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 200 people had
00:43been killed every day for the past three weeks.
00:47Egypt's military chief is in Russia today on his first trip abroad since ousting the
00:50country's Islamist president. The move is part of a shift to reduce reliance on the
00:54United States at a time of frictions between the long-time allies.
00:58Afghanistan released 65 accused militants from a former U.S. prison today despite protests
01:03from the American military. The U.S. said the released men are Taliban fighters who
01:07will likely return to the battlefield to kill coalition and Afghan forces.
01:12The second wintry storm in two weeks to hit the normally warm U.S. south encrusted the
01:16region in ice, knocking out electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses.
01:21At least 11 deaths across the region were blamed on the treacherous weather. Nearly
01:253,300 airline flights nationwide were cancelled.
01:28The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange ended 2013 with almost Durham's $85 billion in share
01:34exchange value, marking a growth of 282% compared to 2012. The figures are expected to increase
01:41this year with more money being pumped into different economic sectors for the upcoming
01:44Dubai Expo 2020, according to ADX.
01:48In sports, Steven Gerrard's last grass penalty earned Liverpool a dramatic 3-2 win at Fulham
01:53in the English Premier League last night. Meanwhile, second-place Arsenal and struggling
01:57Manchester United drew 0-0.
02:00Cricket and Paul Collingwood has been named the England team's assistant coach for the
02:03limited overs tour of the West Indies and World Twenty20 in Bangladesh. The former England
02:08all-rounder will work alongside head coach Ashley Giles.
02:12While lightning lit up Dubai's skies last night, Bollywood stars Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer
02:16Singh and Arjun Kapoor created their own thunder at the Arabian Centre. They were in Dubai
02:20for the premiere of their film, Gunde. The Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival opens
02:24today at Dubai Festival City, while the Pyramids Rooftop Gardens at Wafi City goes retro with
02:29an ABBA revival.
02:30If food is what interests you, gourmet Abu Dhabi continues, while the Burj Park in Dubai
02:34freezes over with the Gelato World Tour.
02:37And finally the weather. Today's high crossed the UAE with 21 degrees, dropping to 16 degrees
02:42at night.
02:43That's all for now. Thanks for watching. We will be back with the newscast on Sunday,
02:46but you can always get the latest news on golfnews.com
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