00:00Good day, welcome to the Gulf News update for Thursday, June 19. Here are the top stories
00:09at this hour.
00:10As thousands of pilgrims head to Mecca for Umrah during Ramadan, the price for visas
00:15to travel to Islam's holiest places has started shooting up. An Umrah visa that normally costs
00:20350 dirhams has now shot up to 2,000 dirhams, pilgrims said. Many residents who are planning
00:25to visit Mecca in Ramadan claim that travel agents hoard visas to create artificial demand
00:30before selling them at exorbitant rates.
00:33Football and title defenders Spain crashed out last night after a second shock defeat.
00:38Chile outran Spain 2-0, while Robin Van Persie's Dutchman posted a thrilling 3-2 win over an
00:44impressive Australia to assure themselves a place in the last 16.
00:49US President Barack Obama has said he will notify Congress about any action he might
00:53take in Iraq, though he will not seek its authorization. This comes after Iraqi Foreign
00:58Minister Hoshiyar Zabari said his country had asked the US to conduct airstrikes on
01:03militants who had overrun the north of the country.
01:06Jennifer Lopez and Marc Antony's divorce has been finalized nearly three years after the
01:10singers separated. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge John Sandoz finalized the couple's breakup
01:16earlier this week, awarding both a joint legal custody of their six-year-old twin children.
01:22Jazz musician Horace Silver, a composer known for pioneering hard bop, has died at 85. Silver,
01:28a native of Connecticut, was shaped by the Portuguese influence in the island of Cape
01:32Verde from where his family emigrated to the United States.
01:37At home, award-winning Indian composer, singer and lyricist Mit Hoon will perform at a live
01:41concert in Abu Dhabi on Friday. He will be accompanied by singing sensation Ajit Singh,
01:47amongst others.
01:49And finally, the weather. Today's high across the UAE will be 37 degrees Celsius, dropping
01:53to 28 degrees at night.
01:55That's all for now. Thanks for watching. We will be back with the newscast on Sunday,
01:59but you can always get the latest news on golfnews.com
Comments