00:00Good day. Welcome to the Gulf News Update for Monday, March the 9th. Here are the top
00:09stories at this hour.
00:11The first attempt to fly around the world in a plane using only solar power launched
00:15this morning in Abu Dhabi, in a landmark journey that will test its pilots' endurance to
00:19the limits.
00:20The Solar Impulse 2, piloted by Andre Borsberg of Switzerland, took off from Al-Bateen Airport
00:26and headed to Muscat, where it is expected to land later today. From Muscat, the plane
00:31will make 12 stops on an epic journey spread over five months, with a total flight time
00:35of around 25 days.
00:38The UN Secretary-General has called on the international community to halt the destruction
00:42of Iraqi archaeological sites by Daesh. Ban Ki-moon branded the smashing of priceless
00:47and ancient artifacts as a war crime. His comments came hours after Iraq's tourism
00:53and antiquities minister called on the US-led coalition Fighting Daesh to protect the sites.
00:59The families of two Australian drug smugglers facing imminent execution in Indonesia visited
01:04them today for the first time on a prison island. Muran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, the
01:09ringleaders of the so-called Bali 9 gang, were sentenced to death in 2006 for trying
01:14to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia. Australia has mounted a diplomatic campaign to stop
01:19the executions from going ahead.
01:22Doping and cycling remains widespread, with cheats experimenting with designer drugs and
01:27becoming ever more sophisticated, according to the Cycling Independent Reform Commission.
01:33In a report published this morning, the commission features an incredible claim from a respected
01:38cycling professional that 90% of the peloton is still doping in one form or another.
01:44The controversial American Sniper has become the highest-grossing film of 2014 in the US.
01:50Director Clint Eastwood's film about Navy SEAL Chris Kyle passed The Hunger Games Mockingjay
01:54Part 1 to be the top film from last year, and has pulled an estimated $337.2 million
02:01since its limited release on Christmas Day. Worldwide, the film has crossed the $500 million mark.
02:07And finally, weather. Today's high across the UAE will be 29 degrees Celsius, dropping
02:12to 20 degrees at night.
02:14That's all for now. Thanks for watching, and as always, you can get the latest news
02:18at gulfnews.com.
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