Top headlines: Hope launch delayed again; No Covid-19 deaths in UAE in last 24 hours; World population in 2100 could be 2 billion less than projected

Dubai - A look at the stories that made headlines over the last 24 hours.

No Covid-19 deaths in UAE in last 24 hours: Sheikh Mohamed

There hasn't been a death related to Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has said.

"Today we announce no deaths related to Covid-19 in the UAE in the last 24 hours," the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince tweeted.

He expressed his "deepest gratitude to our frontline heroes" and also hailed residents "for their commitment to adhering to precautionary measures".

Wishes pour in for Sheikh Mohammed on birthday

The birthday wishes are pouring in today for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Less than 45 minutes after Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, posted a birthday wish for his father on his official Twitter account, the tweet has already garnered nearly 800 likes and hundreds of retweets and comments.

UAE Mars Hope probe launch delayed again due to bad weather in Japan

The UAE's Hope probe launch has been delayed again due to the foul weather in Japan. The new date will be announced in 24 hours, the UAE Government tweeted on Wednesday.

After a 48-hour delay from the original liftoff time and date of 12.51am on July 15, the probe was to have taken off at 12.43am on July 17 from the Tanegashima Space Centre.

Sheikh Hamdan explains why the UAE wants to go to Mars

With the country eagerly waiting for its Mars probe's historic liftoff, the Dubai Crown Prince looked back on its six-year journey of building Hope and answered one big question: Why does the UAE want to go to the Red Planet?

It wasn't only about exploring the cosmos and making new discoveries, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said in a video he tweeted today. Going to Mars is about creating a culture of conquering the impossible.

UAE's Mars probe team lists 3 reasons for liftoff delay

The UAE's Mars probe team has explained why the Hope orbiter's scheduled liftoff time was delayed for the second time on Wednesday, July 15.

Taking to Twitter, the Hope Mars Mission attributed three reasons for the delay:

1-Unstable weather conditions in Japan
2-Heavy clouds at the launch site
3-Frozen air layer in the atmosphere.
The UAE Government had earlier announced that foul weather in Japan had delayed its launch. The new launch date will be announced in 24 hours.

CBSE Grade 10 results declared

India's Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced the Class X exam results on Wednesday declaring a pass percentage of 91.46.

The results are available on its websites, www.cbse.nic.in and cbseresults.nic.in.

This year over 1.8 million students had registered for the class X exams.

Dh50 test at Dubai-Abu Dhabi border only for families

A new screening facility at the Dubai-Abu Dhabi border that provides Covid-19 test results in five minutes will only accept families for the time being, a senior official has said.

"The testing facility is currently available only for families. Women can also avail of the test," Abdullah A Rashdi, spokesperson for Tamouh Healthcare, an Abu Dhabi government-run medical company that is responsible for managing the new testing centre, told Khaleej Times.

Revealed: Covid-19 test validity for Indians travelling to 3 UAE cities

Indian passengers travelling to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah have different requirements when it comes to the validity of the Covid-19 test they take before travel.

According to a Facebook post by Air India Express, for Indians travelling to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the PCR test can be taken up to 96 hours before departure. For expats travelling to Sharjah, the test should have been taken no later than 72 hours before departure.

UAE, other Arab states to present before ICAO their case on airspace closure to Qatari aircraft

The UAE's airspace measures against Qatar will remain in effect, the country has reiterated. The statement comes following an International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict on Tuesday which held that the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has jurisdiction to address Qatar's allegations against the quartet of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on civil aviation issues.

Saudi Arabia permanently cancels licence of Qatar's beIN Sports

Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Competition (GAC) said on Tuesday it had permanently cancelled the licence of Qatari broadcaster beIN Sports, which has been barred from broadcasting in the kingdom since mid-2017 due to a dispute with Qatar.

GAC said in a statement on its website and carried by state television that it was also fining beIN Sports 10 million riyals ($2.7 million) for alleged "monopolistic practices".

UAE visit visa expired after Mar 1? Here's how to regularise your status

Tourists in the UAE whose visit visas expired after March 1 have a one-month grace period to exit the country or get a fresh visa to avoid fines. The 30-day grace period started on July 12, Brig Khamis Al Kaabi, spokesperson of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA), said in a TV interview recently.

Etihad adds more destinations to special fare offer

More Etihad passengers will now be able of avail of the airline's special fares by travelling without check-in baggage.

The 'Deal Fare' scheme which was earlier available only on Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Azerbaijan flights, will now be available on Belarus, Greece, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Turkey routes as well throughout July and August 2020.

Emirates resumes A380 service with flights to London, Paris

Emirates will deploy its iconic A380 on its daily Amsterdam service, and add a second daily A380 service to London Heathrow starting from August 1, a statement issued on Wednesday said.

This announcement follows the Emirates A380's return to the skies today with EK001 to London Heathrow taking off from Dubai International airport at 7.45am, and EK073 at 8.20am, carrying commercial passengers onboard this flagship aircraft for the first time since March.

World population in 2100 could be 2 billion less than projected

Earth will be home to 8.8 billion souls in 2100, two billion fewer than current UN projections, according to a major study published Wednesday that foresees new global power alignments shaped by declining fertility rates and greying populations.

By century's end, 183 of 195 countries - barring an influx of immigrants - will have fallen below the replacement threshold needed to maintain population levels, an international team of researchers reported in The Lancet.

Google buys 7.7% of Reliance's digital unit Jio for $4.5 billion

India's Reliance Industries on Wednesday said Alphabet Inc's Google will buy a 7.7 per cent stake in its digital unit for $4.5 billion, winning the backing of another U.S. tech giant after Facebook Inc in late April.

With Google's investment, strategic and financial investors have committed a total of 1.52 trillion rupees ($20.22 billion) in the last few months, Reliance chairman and billionaire tycoon Mukesh Ambani said at the company's annual shareholders meeting hosted via a webcast.

Rajasthan political crisis: Sachin Pilot says not joining BJP

"I am not joining the BJP," Congress leader Sachin Pilot said on Wednesday, asserting that the speculation about his switching sides was being fuelled by certain leaders in Rajasthan to tarnish his image.

Pilot's remarks come a day after the Congress sacked him as Rajasthan's deputy chief minister and the party's state unit president. Two loyalists of Pilot were also dropped from the state Cabinet.

"I have worked very hard to bring the Congress party back in the government and defeat the BJP," he told PTI.