Dubai  - Dubai's pearl trade rose dramatically last year despite the global economic crisis, according to statistics released on Tuesday by the Dubai Pearl Exchange.

The value of the loose pearl trade in the glitzy emirate grew from 22 million dirham (5.99 million dollars) in 2007 to over 95 million dirham during 2008, and experts believe it has more room to grow.

Dubai, Mar. 9 : England fast bowler Jenny Gunn and Sri Lanka off-spinner Rose Fernando have been reported because of suspected illegal actions.

The two bowlers were reported by umpires Gerard Abood and Kathy Cross at the conclusion of their ICC Women's World Cup 2009 match which England won by 100 runs at the Manuka Oval, Canberra on Saturday.

In their report the umpires raised concerns over the Gunn's short-pitched deliveries and Fernando's quicker balls and decided it was appropriate for their deliveries to be scrutinised further under the relevant ICC process.

That process states that any bowler reported in this way will be dealt with by the relevant Member board as per ICC regulations for women's ODIs below:

Dubai, Mar 5 : An Indian teenager has admitted to have escaped death at the hands of a Facebook gang called ''Death Room'', which tortures rich school age kids and extorts money from them.

The boy claimed that it was his cheap mobile phone that saved him from the members of the horrendous gang.

The gang members assumed he came from a middle class family so they would not gain by extorting money from them.

The ''Death Room'' gang consisted of three people of unknown nationalities and two Pakistanis.

Dubai, Mar 5 : A world class instructor from Germany is set to hold a workshop on Kerala's ancient martial arts `Kalarippayat' in Dubai this weekend.

Gerhard Schmid, the instructor based in Hamburg, is offering a Kalari foundations workshop on March 6 and 7 at the Zen Yoga studio in Dubai Media City.

Dubai, UAE - Dubai officials will make an official protest to the WTA after being slapped with a 300,000-dollar fine for the UAE visa exclusion of Israeli Shahar Peer at the Barclays Championships this month.

Owner Dubai Duty Free is also concerned over an unprecedented requirement that the event lay down a 2-million-dollar bond to make sure that the visa problem is not repeated in 2010.

Dubai, March 3 : A Delhi-born artist has launched her first major painting exhibition in Dubai.