00:00Good day. Welcome to the Gulf News update for Monday, July 31. Here are the top stories
00:07at this hour.
00:08Vladimir Putin said he hoped there wouldn't be a need for further retaliation against
00:12Washington after his government ordered the US to slash staff at its diplomatic missions
00:17in Russia by 755, or nearly two-thirds, in retaliation for new sanctions approved by
00:23Congress.
00:25We waited for a rather long time, thinking that things might improve, nourished the hope
00:29that the situation would change somehow, Russia's president said in an interview with state
00:34television. Russia's move marks a new stage in the Kremlin's deepening disillusionment
00:39with US President Donald Trump, who campaigned on pledges to improve ties but has failed
00:45to deliver.
00:46Paid parking will be implemented in a lane from August onwards, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi's
00:51transport sector regulator announced. The Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport's
00:56Integrated Transport Centre said a total of 121 paid parking areas have already been created
01:03across the city, and that parking meters are being installed near designated areas.
01:08Arab foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE have warned Qatar about
01:14its attempts to politicise Hajj.
01:17Adil al-Jubeir, Saudi foreign minister, said Qatari calls to internalise Hajj operations
01:22were tantamount to a declaration of war.
01:24A beaming ensemble cast of Bollywood film Mubarakah made its way to Dubai with the positive
01:29reviews of the Anil Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor starrer adding that bit of energy. Joining
01:35the real-life uncle-and-nephew pairing were the film's lead actresses, Ileana de Cruz
01:39and Atiya Shetty, and director Aniz Wazmi.
01:43Speaking at a press conference for the film, the older Kapoor, who owns a home in Dubai
01:47as well, spoke about the cast's homecoming to the Emirate.
01:51And finally, the weather. Today's high across the UAE will be 42 degrees Celsius, dropping
01:55to 31 degrees at night.
01:57That's all for now. Thanks for watching. And as always, you can get the latest news on
02:01gulfnews.com
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