UAE Team Emirates-XRG warmed up for the Tour de France in style after securing a double European triumph over the weekend.
At the Tour de Suisse, Portuguese rider Joao Almeida snatched victory from overnight leader Kevin Vauquelin by winning the Stage 8 time-trial in clinical fashion.
Almeida overturned a 33-second deficit to leapfrog Vauquelin to secure the title by finishing one minute and seven seconds ahead of the Frenchman in the overall standings.
Austrian Felix Gall finished 25 seconds behind Almeida on the day with Scotsman Oscar Onley third (+1min 11sec) and Vauquelin fourth (+1min 40 sec).
It was a second straight stage victory – and third in total – for Almeida who admitted to nearly blowing the final stage.
“I think I started too fast,” the 26-year-old said after the closing 10.1km uphill time-trial.
“I over-paced in the beginning. In the end, I hoped to have enough gas to push in the last kilometre, but in the end it was not necessary.
“It's a lesson: you should never give up,” added Almeida, who also triumphed at the Tour de Romandie in May. “Sometimes things go wrong and nothing is perfect, but you need to keep trying. We kept trying and we did it.”
Meanwhile, Filippo Baroncini sealed his first general classification triumph at the Baloise Belgium Tour, defending his overall lead on the final flat Stage 5 in Brussels.
The Italian moved into the violet leader’s jersey after Stage 4 in Durbuy and secured the title after finishing four seconds ahead of British rider Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quickstep), with the Belgian Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto) a further three seconds back in third.
“I came into the race in good shape from the Giro, so I knew if things went our way this week something was possible,” said Baroncini, 24, who saw teammate Sebastian Molano take second place on the final stage.
“The goal was to win with the team because Florian [Vermeersch] was also flying.
“Stage 4 was a great stage for me, the group stayed away, and while I didn’t win the stage, I was able to take the crucial time I needed in the GC.
“The team worked perfectly to defend the jersey so it was an excellent week overall.”
The double success meant UAE Team Emirates reached a major milestone by sealing a 50th win of the 2025 season with the Tour de France – set to begin in Lille on July 5 – looming on the horizon.
Leading the UAE charge will once again be Tadej Pogacar, who is looking to seal his fourth crown.
And the Slovenian looks in ominous form having just beaten old rival Jonas Vingegaard to win his first Criterium du Dauphine title, a victory that left Pogacar “super happy and proud”.
“We can go home happy to prepare for the Tour,” said the 26-year-old after finishing in the French Alps. “A lot of positives and all the negatives will turn into positives so it's all good.”
After securing a superb triple crown last season, there has been no signs of any let up from Pogacar in the current campaign which has seen him win the UAE Tour, Liege–Bastogne–Liege, Tour of Flanders, Strade Bianche, La Fleche Wallone and now the Dauphine.
And Almeida will now turn his attentions to helping his superstar teammate retain the Tour title.
“I'll have time to enjoy this win and I'll be ready for the Tour de France,” he said on Sunday. “I'll support Tadej Pogacar there and hope we can get more great wins.”
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
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PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The specs
Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric
Transmission: n/a
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 659Nm
Price estimate: Dh200,000
On sale: Q3 2022
Leaderboard
64 - Gavin Green (MAL), Graeme McDowell (NIR)
65 - Henrik Stenson (SWE), Sebastian Soderberg (SWE), Adri Arnaus (ESP), Victor Perez (FRA), Jhonattan Vegas (VEN)
66 - Phil Mickelson (USA), Tom Lewis (ENG), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Ross Fisher (ENG), Aaron Rai (ENG), Ryan Fox (NZL)
67 - Dustin Johnson (USA), Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez (ESP), Lucas Herbert (AUS), Francesco Laporta (ITA), Joost Luiten (NED), Soren Kjeldsen (DEN), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
68 - Alexander Bjork (SWE), Matthieu Pavon (FRA), Adrian Meronk (POL), David Howell (ENG), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR), Sean Crocker (USA), Scott Hend (AUS), Justin Harding (RSA), Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Shubhankar Sharma (IND), Renato Paratore (ITA)
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Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
