GN Midday Monday Jan 21 2013

Daily headlines from the UAE and around the world brought to you by Gulf News. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv

Transcript

00:00Good day, welcome to the Gulf News update for Monday, January the 21st.

00:13Here are the top stories at this hour.

00:16Al-Dar Properties and Suruh Real Estate, Abu Dhabi's biggest property developers, have

00:20agreed to a much-anticipated merger.

00:22The new firm will have combined assets of about 15 billion dirhams.

00:27Shares in both companies have more than doubled over the past year in anticipation of the

00:31merger.

00:32A new rent scam has hit companies looking for staff accommodation in Dubai.

00:36A Dubai-based company allegedly posing as both tenant and property agent has disappeared

00:41with the money after re-renting the accommodation.

00:44Palestinians say that the re-election of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will pave the

00:48way for an apartheid state.

00:51Israelis go to the polls tomorrow to elect a new government where right-wing and pro-colonist

00:55parties are slated to win.

00:57Under the tenor of Netanyahu, colonies have quadrupled.

01:01India's Supreme Court has agreed to consider a plea to transfer the trial of five men accused

01:06of a fatal gang rape out of New Delhi.

01:08The court agreed to hear the plea after a defending lawyer said it would be impossible

01:13for his client to receive a fair hearing in the same city where the attack took place.

01:18The death toll from the terrorist siege at a gas plant in Algeria has climbed past 80

01:23as security forces found dozens more bodies.

01:25Many of the bodies were so badly disfigured it was unclear whether they were hostages

01:30or militants.

01:31U.S. President Barack Obama will today repeat for hundreds of thousands of people an oath

01:37to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution.

01:40The day of festivities, parades and fancy dress balls will mark the beginning of Obama's

01:44second four-year term as president.

01:47In sport, Dubai's Al Nusr Club will unveil former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson

01:52as their technical director today.

01:54In a late premiership match last night, Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by Tottenham.

02:00In entertainment, Twilight author Stephanie Meyer is hoping her fans will follow her as

02:05she moves into producing films based on books by other writers.

02:09Her first such effort, Austin Land, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

02:13It tells the story of Jane Austen, obsessed woman that take holidays recreating the Pride

02:18and Prejudice author's novels.

02:20Weather

02:21And today's high across the UAE will be 25 degrees Celsius, dropping to 5 degrees at

02:26night.

02:27That's all for now.

02:28Thanks for watching.

02:29And as always, you can get the latest news at gulfnews.com