• Justin Gaethje lands a shot on Tony Ferguson in their interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249. AFP
    Justin Gaethje lands a shot on Tony Ferguson in their interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249. AFP
  • Justin Gaethje of the United States celebrates after defeating compatriot Tony Ferguson in their interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249 at VyStar. Getty
    Justin Gaethje of the United States celebrates after defeating compatriot Tony Ferguson in their interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249 at VyStar. Getty
  • Tony Ferguson (red gloves) fights Justin Gaethje during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Getty
    Tony Ferguson (red gloves) fights Justin Gaethje during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Getty
  • Justin Gaethje punches Tony Ferguson in their interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249. AFP
    Justin Gaethje punches Tony Ferguson in their interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249. AFP
  • Justin Gaethje lands a blow on Tony Ferguson during their fight at UFC 249. Reuters
    Justin Gaethje lands a blow on Tony Ferguson during their fight at UFC 249. Reuters
  • Tony Ferguson kicks Justin Gaethje in their interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249. AFP
    Tony Ferguson kicks Justin Gaethje in their interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249. AFP
  • Justin Gaethje lands a punch on Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. Reuters
    Justin Gaethje lands a punch on Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. Reuters
  • Justin Gaethje punches Tony Ferguson in their interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249. AFP
    Justin Gaethje punches Tony Ferguson in their interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249. AFP
  • Henry Cejudo, left, of the United States is announced winner over compatriot Dominick Cruz of their bantamweight title fight during UFC 249. AFP
    Henry Cejudo, left, of the United States is announced winner over compatriot Dominick Cruz of their bantamweight title fight during UFC 249. AFP
  • Henry Cejudo, left, fights Dominick Cruz in an all-American fight at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. AFP
    Henry Cejudo, left, fights Dominick Cruz in an all-American fight at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. AFP
  • Henry Cejudo poses with his bantamweight title belt won at the UFC 249 on Saturday night in Florida. AFP
    Henry Cejudo poses with his bantamweight title belt won at the UFC 249 on Saturday night in Florida. AFP
  • Jeremy Stephens, right, of the United States fights fellow American Calvin Kattar in their featherweight bout at UFC 249. AFP
    Jeremy Stephens, right, of the United States fights fellow American Calvin Kattar in their featherweight bout at UFC 249. AFP
  • Calvin Kattar, left, knocks down Jeremy Stephens at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. AFP
    Calvin Kattar, left, knocks down Jeremy Stephens at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. AFP
  • Anthony Pettis, right, kicks Donald Cerrone in their welterweight fight during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. AFP
    Anthony Pettis, right, kicks Donald Cerrone in their welterweight fight during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. AFP
  • Members of the media watch the Heavyweight fight between Aleksei Oleinik of Russia and Fabricio Werdum of Brazil during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. AFP
    Members of the media watch the Heavyweight fight between Aleksei Oleinik of Russia and Fabricio Werdum of Brazil during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. AFP
  • Calvin Kattar punches Jeremy Stephens even as his rival falls at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. AFP
    Calvin Kattar punches Jeremy Stephens even as his rival falls at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. AFP
  • Greg Hardy, right, of the United States punches Yorgan De Castro of Cape Verde in their UFC 249 heavyweight fight. AFP
    Greg Hardy, right, of the United States punches Yorgan De Castro of Cape Verde in their UFC 249 heavyweight fight. AFP
  • Anthony Pettis, left, and Donald Cerrone during their welterweight fight in Jacksonville, Florida. AFP
    Anthony Pettis, left, and Donald Cerrone during their welterweight fight in Jacksonville, Florida. AFP

UFC 249: Justin Gaethje sets sights on Khabib Nurmagomedov after impressive TKO win over Tony Ferguson


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Newly crowned interim champion Justin Gaethje called out Khabib Nurmagomedov following a career-highlight victory against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 on Sunday.

The American, who went into the headline bout in Jacksonville, Florida as a slight underdog, defeated Ferguson by TKO in the fifth round in a hugely dominant performance.

Ferguson, significantly bloodied and bruised by the conclusion, suffered his first loss in 13 fights - a run stretching back eight years.

Gaethje is now expected to face undefeated lightweight champion Nurmagomedov next, with the fight maybe even taking place in Abu Dhabi later this year.

Speaking in the octagon immediately afterwards, Gaethje said:  "There's no other challenge I want right now. I want to fight him."

Ngannou lands KO of the night

Despite the absence of a crowd, the fights that made up UFC 249 lacked nothing in intensity, with Francis Ngannou scoring the knockout of the night, blitzing Jairzinho Rozenstruik with a left hook to force a stoppage after just 20 seconds of the first round.

Sam Alvey was the first fighter into the empty arena on the night, pointing and high-fiving the imaginary crowd as he made his way to the cage where he fell to a decision loss to Ryan Spann in the evening's opening fight on the prelim card.

Apart from the fighters, the referees and the commentators, event staff wore face masks and only one corner-man per fighter was allowed into the cage in the breaks between rounds.

"It was funny, I could hear a lot. Everybody out there I could hear really clearly, but at the same time ... it wasn't much different than if the crowd were there," Vicente Luque told reporters following his stoppage win over Niko Price.

Such was the silence that Luque was able to hear the commentators, and heavyweight Greg Hardy said he was able to take the advice of TV commentator Daniel Cormier to counter Yorgan De Castro's leg kicks en route to a decision victory.

Cejudo calls it a day

In the co-main event, Henry Cejudo retained his bantamweight belt with a second-round stoppage win over Dominick Cruz before immediately retiring in the octagon. The 33-year-old, who won a gold medal for wrestling at the 2008 Olympics, has said he was happy with his career and that he wanted to start a family.

Returning after a long layoff, former champ Cruz was dropped with a knee to the head and suffered the first knockout of his career with just two seconds left in the second round.

However, the biggest prize of the night went to Gaethje, who is now next in line to face Nurmagomedov for the undisputed lightweight crown.

"I'll wait for the real one," Gaethje said as he tossed the interim belt aside moments after it was put around his waist.

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Rating: 2.5/5

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Company%20profile
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Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

THE NEW BATCH'S FOCUS SECTORS

AiFlux – renewables, oil and gas

DevisionX – manufacturing

Event Gates – security and manufacturing

Farmdar – agriculture

Farmin – smart cities

Greener Crop – agriculture

Ipera.ai – space digitisation

Lune Technologies – fibre-optics

Monak – delivery

NutzenTech – environment

Nybl – machine learning

Occicor – shelf management

Olymon Solutions – smart automation

Pivony – user-generated data

PowerDev – energy big data

Sav – finance

Searover – renewables

Swftbox – delivery

Trade Capital Partners – FinTech

Valorafutbol – sports and entertainment

Workfam – employee engagement

Find the right policy for you

Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.

Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.

Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.

Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.

If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.

Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.

Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”

Qosty Byogaani

Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny

Four stars

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

Country-size land deals

US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:

Louisiana Purchase

If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.

Florida Purchase Treaty

The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty. 

Alaska purchase

America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of  Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".

The Philippines

At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million. 

US Virgin Islands

It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.

Gwadar

The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees. 

Graduated from the American University of Sharjah

She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters

Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks

Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding

 

Sri Lanka squad

Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Niroshan Dickwella, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milinda Siriwardana, Roshen Silva, Akila Dananjaya, Charith Asalanka, Shaminda Eranga and Dhammika Prasad.

THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

Ticket prices
  • Golden circle - Dh995
  • Floor Standing - Dh495
  • Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
  • Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
  • Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
  • Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
  • Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
  • Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.