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, 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, UAE - Cricket's world governing body Tuesday condemned the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan.

"We note with dismay and regret the events of this morning in Lahore and we condemn this attack without reservation," chief executive Haroon Lorgat of the Dubai-based International Cricket Council (ICC) said Tuesday.

"It is a source of great sadness that there have been a number of fatalities in this attack and it is also very upsetting for the wider cricket family that some of the Sri Lanka players and one match official have been injured in this attack.

Rik De Voest of South Africa and Dmitry Tursunov

Dubai, UAE  - Novak Djokovic gave his confidence a huge boost on Saturday as he tuned up for next week's Davis Cup tie with Spain with a trophy at the Barclays Championships 7-5, 6-3 over David Ferrer.

The Serb top seed said that prior to the upcoming challenge on clay in front of a Spanish crowd of 15,000 in Benidorm, he feels his game is lifting after securing his first title of a slow-starting 2009 season.

Djokovic won an event which was decimated by late withdrawals, including former winners Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Dubai, UAE  - Novak Djokovic overcame a patchy effort littered with breaks of serve before lifting his first title of 2009 with a 7-5, 6-3 win over David Ferrer at the Barclays Championships on Saturday.

The Serb world number 3 improved to 4-3 against Spain's scampering Ferrer, the second finalist from his nation in as many years at the Aviation club after Feliciano Lopez lost in 2008 to Andy Roddick.

The match was a preview of next weekend's Davis Cup World Group tie in Spain.