Persian Gulf newspapers yesterday gave front-page coverage to the glittering royal wedding in London, but also left out the crowd-thrilling moment when Britain’s Prince William kissed his wife, Kate.
The privately run al-Khaleej, published in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), did not give front page treatment to the British royals, instead putting them on page 36 to share space with a story on the woes of Venice, Italy, and flood control.
The Arabic-language al-Bayan, which is based in Dubai, front-paged a postcard-size picture of the newly weds riding in their carriage and devoted three quarters of page 33 to more coverage, but the iconic kiss was noticeably absent.
English-language dailies in the UAE had more of the nuptials and carried big pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the front pages, but the public show of affection was consigned to the inside.
The UAE is seen as liberal compared with the ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia and some of the other neighbors, but the display of affection in public is not encouraged.
Some of the 100,000 Dubai-based British expatriates were seen partying away into the night on Friday after watching the royal wedding on giant screens set up at almost every bar and restaurant frequented by foreigners.
However, local celebrations were muted.
At a bar in the fashionable Walk area in Dubai, hotel staff were taking down Union Jack decorations with photos of the royal couple even before the last remaining party-goers left.
One party organizer said on Friday that the political violence in the Middle East had not affected the party mood in the UAE, which remained insulated from regional troubles.
In the run-up to the wedding, Persian Gulf newspapers were lukewarm in their coverage. Not a single Arabic-language newspaper published in Dubai had a story about the royal wedding on the front page on Friday.
An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday. Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncy pork,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month. The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merchandise, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home. A zoo spokesperson said that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost
‘BARBAROUS ACTS’: The captain of the fishing vessel said that people in checkered clothes beat them with iron bars and that he fell unconscious for about an hour Ten Vietnamese fishers were violently robbed in the South China Sea, state media reported yesterday, with an official saying the attackers came from Chinese-flagged vessels. The men were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), which Taiwan claims, as do Vietnam, China, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. Vietnamese media did not identify the nationalities of the attackers, but Phung Ba Vuong, an official in central Quang Ngai province, told reporters: “They were Chinese, [the boats had] Chinese flags.” Four of the 10-man Vietnamese crew were rushed
CHINESE ICBM: The missile landed near the EEZ of French Polynesia, much to the surprise and concern of the president, who sent a letter of protest to Beijing Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere called for “respect for our region” and a stop to missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, after China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Katonivere recalled the Pacific Ocean’s history as a nuclear weapons testing ground, and noted Wednesday’s rare launch by China of an ICBM. “There was a unilateral test firing of a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. We urge respect for our region and call for cessation of such action,” he said. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the
As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy’s hands. With a focus on easing its isolation and reviving its battered economy, Iran is aware that war could complicate efforts to secure relief from crippling sanctions. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, has intensified, especially after last week’s sabotage on Hezbollah’s communications that killed 39 people. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon followed, killing hundreds. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket barrages. Despite the surge in
RSS