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UAE skiers make history at Milan-Cortina 2026, broadening winter sports’ global reach / image: @UAENOC The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina officially kicked off today with a dazzling opening ceremony, but for the Middle East, the standout moment was the arrival of the United Arab Emirates delegation. For the first time in history, the UAE flag was paraded alongside traditional winter sports giants at the San Siro Stadium.This debut marks a massive milestone in the nation's sports strategy, moving beyond the traditional summer games to compete on the global ice and snow stage. This achievement is the result of years of investment in indoor facilities like Ski Dubai and rigorous training programs in Europe, proving that geography is no barrier to Olympic ambition. Meloni Roasts Vance On Cam After 'Italian' Claim; 'You Don't Know What The Joke Is All About' UAE's historic debut at Winter OlympicsIn a momentous first, the United Arab Emirates proudl..

AdvertisementNepalThis Week in AsiaLifestyle & CultureNepal’s tourism sector welcomes arrests in fake mountain rescues, urges tough sanctionsThe suspects are believed to be among a network of scammers who have cheated insurers by staging fake rescue operations for years
Reading Time:4 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPBibek BhandariPublished: 4:00pm, 7 Feb 2026Many tourism entrepreneurs in Nepal have welcomed the arrest of executives accused of orchestrating fake rescue operations on the country’s Himalayan trekking trails and swindling millions of dollars from insurers.The arrests follow a nearly three-month investigation by Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau into a long-running insurance fraud scheme where travel and rescue companies allegedly staged helicopter evacuations from the mountains to pocket insurance money from foreign travel insurance companies.
The racket has drawn international scrutiny, and travel entrepreneurs say it poses a reputational risk to the country, which..

AdvertisementChina-EU relationsEconomyChina EconomyChinese sports brands set sights on European expansion at 2026 Winter OlympicsThe Games have become a test case for firms seeking to raise their global profile, highlighting rising ambitions and challenges.
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPXiaofei Xuin ParisPublished: 4:00pm, 7 Feb 2026With the Winter Olympics now under way in Milan and Cortina, Chinese brands involved in the Games are mounting an ambitious marketing push across Italy and Europe, with sportswear and sports equipment naturally taking centre stage.At the forefront is Li Ning, the company supplying the national team with clothing and gear for the competition after returning as the official partner of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) – a role that had previously ended in 2004.The partnership coincides with Li Ning’s efforts to push into overseas markets. Founded by the legendary Chinese gymnast of the same name, the company made its Milan Fashion Week debut i..

Dubai sees early light rain, humid nights and misty mornings today / Image: AI Dubai and parts of the UAE are under a weather pattern that brings light rain and cloudy skies, especially in the early hours of the morning. Local forecasters including the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) have forecast light rainfall on Friday, February 6, 2026, with some coastal and inland areas seeing droplets or short showers.This comes as part of a broader unstable weather system, influenced by shifts in pressure and cloud cover building over the region, which increases the chance of rain, especially in northern and eastern parts of the UAE.Weather in UAE todayToday’s daytime conditions in Dubai are expected to be fair to partly cloudy, with a pleasant high of around 26 °C and a low at night near 17–18 °C.As night approaches, humidity levels will rise, particularly over coastal areas and islands. This overnight increase in moisture raises the likelihood of fog or mist formation, which can make earl..

Saudi Arabia revoked licences of 74 private schools after inspections found lapses and missing approvals/Representative image Saudi Arabia's education authorities have withdrawn the operating licences of 74 private schools in multiple cities across the Kingdom, tightening oversight as part of a broader effort to protect student safety and preserve standards in the private education sector.The decision was announced by the Saudi Ministry of Education following the identification of repeated regulatory violations at the affected institutions. Officials said the move reflects the ministry’s commitment to maintaining a safe learning environment and ensuring that private schools meet all approved educational and operational requirements.According to the ministry, inspection visits carried out over the past period revealed that several schools had failed to renew their licences or comply with updated regulatory conditions. These lapses triggered enforcement action after schools continue..

AdvertisementRussiaWorldRussia & Central AsiaRussian general shot and wounded in assassination attempt in MoscowShooting of Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev marks the latest high-profile hit on Russia’s military leaders
Reading Time:1 minuteWhy you can trust SCMPAgence France-PressePublished: 4:23pm, 6 Feb 2026A Russian general was shot in a residential building in Moscow on Friday morning and rushed to hospital, officials said, in the latest apparent assassination attempt of a top Russian military figure.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said “an unidentified individual fired several shots” at Vladimir Alekseyev, a general who has a senior role in Russia’s general staff, before fleeing the scene.
“The victim has been hospitalised,” the agency added in a statement.
AdvertisementIt did not say anything about the suspected perpetrator.
Several high-ranking military officials have been killed since Moscow launched its full-scale offensive on Ukraine in Feb..

AdvertisementDonald TrumpThis Week in AsiaEconomicsGold still shines in Asia thanks to ‘pent-up demand’ amid volatilityInvestors are also looking to buy more silver despite the recent rush of funds towards the US dollar, analysts say
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPBiman MukherjiPublished: 4:21pm, 6 Feb 2026Updated: 4:24pm, 6 Feb 2026Asian investors should brace for more volatility in the gold and silver markets in the near term following a plunge in prices of the two metals after a record-breaking surge, with demand expected to rise again ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.The outlook for gold remains strong over the long term, even as investors turned their focus to the US dollar in recent trading sessions, according to analysts.
Gold typically has an inverse correlation with the US dollar. Investors have shifted funds to the dollar after US President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Wednesday about a trade deal between Washington and Beijing following his phone conver..

Dubai's 'City Terminal' Plan: Airport Check-in From Anywhere? Dubai is moving closer to a future where travel begins before you reach the airport, thanks to an ambitious plan under the Dubai 10X initiative called the City Terminal Project. If realised, this innovation would allow travellers to complete airport check-in formalities at designated points across the city and then be transported directly to their departure terminal via secure vehicles with their boarding pass and documentation already processed.The idea aims to streamline travel, reduce congestion at airport counters and improve overall passenger experience, building on Dubai’s reputation as one of the world’s most connected aviation hubs.What is Dubai's City Terminal Project?
The City Terminal Project is one of three major initiatives approved under Dubai 10X, a government innovation programme launched to dramatically enhance key sectors in the emirate, including travel, mobility and public services.Und..

Abu Dhabi's Nutri-Mark: New Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labels for Healthier Choices Abu Dhabi is rolling out a pioneering front-of-pack nutrition labelling system called “Nutri-Mark” designed to help consumers make smarter, healthier food purchasing decisions and prompt food companies to improve the nutritional quality of their products. The initiative is part of a broader effort to address rising obesity rates and chronic disease risks, offering clear, easy-to-understand information at a glance.What is Abu Dhabi’s Nutri-Mark and how it works
Nutri-Mark is a grading system that uses letters from A to E to rate a food product’s nutritional quality, with A (dark green) indicating the highest nutritional value and E (red) the lowest. The colour-coded, front-of-package label helps shoppers quickly compare similar products within the same category, such as baked goods, dairy, oils, beverages and children’s food.This approach simplifies the complex tables and ingredient lists that often co..

AdvertisementMalaysiaThis Week in AsiaPoliticsIn Malaysia, study on elected Kuala Lumpur mayor triggers another race debateCritics slam the study as a ‘naive and misguided’ move by Minister Hannah Yeoh that would worsen the country’s ‘cultural war’
Reading Time:4 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPIman Muttaqin YusofPublished: 3:51pm, 5 Feb 2026The Malaysian government’s proposed study on whether Kuala Lumpur should elect its mayor instead of being appointed has detonated into what observers call a familiar “cultural war” over race, power and who gets to run the nation’s capital.
The feasibility study announced by Hannah Yeoh, a minister from the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party, has also drawn criticism that the exercise is a political project pushed by her party.
Findings of the study by the International Islamic University Malaysia will be released to the public in March, Yeoh, minister from the prime minister’s department, said on Sunday in an interview with the local Chinese da..