The women’s majlis: Surgery can scar you for a lifetime

Home improvements: make your own play-doh

Plant profile: Bismarckia nobilis

Debut novel Hausfrau describes the wrong way out of a conventional life

Cartoon by SHadi Ghanim 6/3/15

My Kind of Place: Varkala, Kerala

5 things to do: Enjoy afternoon tea with Van Gogh masterpieces or plan to attend ESSA Sunset Open 2015

Style tribe: top tips for using ethic prints in your home

My UAE: DJ turned radio host Marwan Parham Al Awadhi

Innovation showcase in the capital

Dubai Customs donate unclaimed items to charities

UAE doubles up on Emirati participation at Chennai Rugby Sevens

Abu Dhabi Saracens visit Doha in West Asia final preview

Portrait of a Nation: Amal Al Ghaferi

Iranian task force rescue kidnapped diplomat in Yemen

Our top six books this week: Lynsey Addario’s account of being a journalist kidnapped by pro-Qaddafi forces and more