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China has finally announced the opening ceremony for the world’s longest sea bridge, which will connect Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland, but critics hit back Thursday over the secrecy surrounding the project. Construction started in 2009 on the 55-kilometre (34-mile) crossing, which includes a snaking road bridge and underwater tunnel, linking Hong Kong’s Lantau island to the southern mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai and the gambling enclave of Macau, across the waters of the Pearl River Estuary. It has been dogged by delays, budget overruns, corruption prosecutions and the deaths of construction workers. While supporters promote it as an engineering marvel, others see the multi-billion dollar

Close to the border with North Korea, the sea teems with small South Korean fishing boats. It is early in the morning and a plentiful fishing ground, which has been closed for the winter, is about to be opened up to the eager divers on board the boats. They know a bountiful catch awaits the quickest and bravest among them. But this sea holds many dangers, especially for compressor divers like 50-year-old Park Myongho. Wearing a heavy diving suit, helmet and lead weights, Park relies upon a single hose to deliver air to him as he tries to catch octopuses and other sea creatures on the seabed. If the hose gets tangled up or caught on something, it means certain death. "A compressor diver is always

Islamabad: Saudi Arabia has agreed to withdraw an additional Umrah fee of SAR2,000 (Dh1,958) for Pakistanis following a request made by Prime Minister Imran Khan during his recent visit to Saudi Arabia. The information was shared by secretary of religious affairs Mohammad Mushtaq with the senate committee that met to discuss the problems faced by Pakistanis while performing Haj and Umrah. The chairman of senate standing committee on religious affairs, senator Maulana Abdul Ghafour Haideri, said he had received several complaints about the “discriminatory tax” of SAR2,000 by Saudi government on Pakistani pilgrims performing more than one Umrah within two years. Mushtaq explained that the rationale

Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistan has executed a man convicted of raping and murdering a six-year-old girl in the eastern district of Kasur, jail authorities and the girl's family have said. Imran Ali was hanged at the Kot Lakhpat jail in the eastern city of Lahore early on Wednesday, jail officials told Al Jazeera. They spoke on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Ali, 24, was executed in the presence of Muhammad Amin Ansari, the father of six-year-old Zainab Ansari, whose brutal rape and murder in January sparked a widescale manhunt. "He walked by himself to the gallows and stood there comfortably," Muzammil Ansari, Zainab's cousin, told Al Jazeera by telephone.

Priyanka Chopra has two deciding factors for her wedding dress - it must be "cute and comfortable". The 'Quantico' star may have only recently got engaged to Nick Jonas but she already has a good idea of what sort of gown she wants for her big day. She told Entertainment Tonight: "I always believed that anything and everything that I wear, I have to be comfortable and cute. So it's going to be cute and comfortable." And Priyanka and Nick are keen to get married "sooner than later". A source shared: "Priyanka and Nick are ready to tie the knot sooner than later. The couple has had an accelerated relationship, and are very comfortable with one another. Priyanka has already been planning the wedding

UPDATE as of 11.38am  Dubai/Sharjah/Ras Al Khaimah: Hundreds of investors in the UAE are believed to have been affected by the Heera Group ponzi scam which has left a trail of devastated lives across India and the Middle East. On Wednesday, several investors trooped down to Heera Group's office in Jumeirah Lakes Towers in Dubai looking for answers. The office, however, remained locked and phones of all their representatives in the UAE had been switched off. Visits to their offices in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah also drew a blank. Arrest On October 16, the arrest of an entrepreneur-cum-politician in India has sparked panic. Dr Aalima Nowhera Shaik, chairperson of Heera Group, was taken into custody

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, received today at Zabeel Palace, Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila. H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, also attended the reception. Sheikh Mohammed welcomed Dancila's visit while stressing the UAE's keenness on developing ties with Romania. The parties reviewed bilateral relations between the UAE and Romania and ways to