The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic will run in consecutive weeks next January - the first time the UAE events have taken place back-to-back.
The Abu Dhabi tournament, about to enter its 13th year, has traditionally marked the beginning of the European Tour’s three-legged Desert Swing, with the circuit moving usually to the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters before returning to Dubai during a three-week period across January and February.
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However, sources close to the Desert Classic have confirmed the tournament will take place from January 25-28, one week after the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which is slated for January 18-21.
The Emirates Golf Federation has listed on its website the two events for those slots. The Qatar Masters appears now set for February 22-25.
With the boycott on Qatar by four Arab countries, including UAE, over the country's support for extremism into its fourth month and showing no sign of resolution, the change to the 2018 schedule means European Tour players will not have to find a circuitous route for air travel between the UAE and Doha.
In 2011, the Volvo Golf Champions was added between Abu Dhabi and Qatar, but the tournament lasted only one year in Bahrain and it was relocated to South Africa.
The future of the Qatar Masters remains uncertain, with the European Tour’s contracts with title sponsor Commercial Bank and host organisation Qatar Association expiring next year.
Last month, the Ladies European Tour cancelled its event in Qatar, which was originally set for December.
Since its inception in 2006, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship has become one of the most anticipated tournaments on the European Tour’s rota outside of the majors and the World Golf Championships.
Likewise the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, which is the Middle East’s longest-running professional tour event having first been played in 1989.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
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The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
THE POPE'S ITINERARY
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
