Dubai, UAE  - Ana Ivanovic got off to a winning start under new coach Craig Kardon, reaching the second round in a stroll at the Barclays Championships on Monday.

The French Open winner only teamed with the American a week or so ago in hopes of stopping her slide after winning Roland Garros but failing to back up that big win.

The Serb defeated Russian Alisa Kleybanova 7-5, 6-4 to take revenge for a third-round upset loss in the Australian Open, the last time Ivanovic played a WTA match.

Abu Dhabi  - A cargo ship and its crew have been reported missing off the Abu Dhabi coastline, officials said on Friday.

"We lost contact with the ship two days ago," said Muhair Ali al- Khatri, director general of the Critical National Infrastructure Authority (CNIA).

The unnamed vessel, which was carrying cars and trucks, went missing between Jebel Dhanna and al-Qarnain island, which lies 180 kilometres north-west of Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates.

Al-Khatri was quoted by the official WAM news agency as saying that CNIA dispatched six rescue boats and two helicopters to search for the vessel, which had nine people onboard.

Singapore - A delegation from Abu Dhabi is studying Singapore's approach and experiences in tackling many of the challenges of a city state including the threat of terrorism and developing new niches for economic growth, a news report said Wednesday.

Twenty-one delegates are attending a forum where Singapore officials explain the city state's best practices and how it has prepared to tackle terrorism and the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Abu Dhabi, UAE  - Andy Murray remains more excited about his fast-improving Australian Open chances than even the 250,000-dollar prize packet he stands to win in the final with Rafael Nadal at the Capitala Championship in Abu Dhabi.

Murray reached the Saturday title showdown as he beat Roger Federer in three sets at the exhibition.

"It's always a challenge playing Roger," said the Scot, ranked fourth. "I've got the better of him on a few occasions, but in the big one we played, at the US Open final, he beat me pretty badly.

Star soccer player David Beckham would be provided 24-hour security when he arrives at United Arab Emirates.

It is learnt that the 33 year old Beckham would be given Dubai's biggest security cover ever. Beckham is scheduled to reach UAE on Monday.

Earlier, the Daily Star has reported that the former English captain would be an ideal target and thus a special security team will be dragged in.

Dubai  - The volume of air traffic through the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one of the Middle East's key transport hubs, will continue to grow in 2009, although the rate of growth is expected to slow down, a civil aviation official said on Thursday.

Saif Mohamed al-Suwaidi, the Director General of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), said that the number of flights in 2008 had increased by around 10.3 per cent compared to 2007, reaching 489,000 flights.