Text is an important part of the new 21,39 show. This neon work by Abdullah AlOthman greets visitors with the well-known saying 'In Al Balad, I encountered the Bride of the Red Sea'. The work refers to Jeddah, where 21,39 began. Now the exhibition is in Ithra for the first time.
Text is an important part of the new 21,39 show. This neon work by Abdullah AlOthman greets visitors with the well-known saying 'In Al Balad, I encountered the Bride of the Red Sea'. The work refers to Jeddah, where 21,39 began. Now the exhibition is in Ithra for the first time.
Works on paper, a specialisation of the curator Venetia Porter, are an important subtheme of the show. Here, the poignant work by exiled Iraqi artist Sadik Kwaish Alfraji, of 'The Tree I Love at Abu Nuwas Street'.
Works on paper, a specialisation of the curator Venetia Porter, are an important subtheme of the show. Here, the poignant work by exiled Iraqi artist Sadik Kwaish Alfraji, of 'The Tree I Love at Abu Nuwas Street'.
Bader Awwad AlBalawi has been chronicling the different people of North Khobar and the changes in the city, in interviews and photographs for his project The City's Alive.
Bader Awwad AlBalawi has been chronicling the different people of North Khobar and the changes in the city, in interviews and photographs for his project The City's Alive.
Porter's research yields work that has been seen publicly before, such as this watercolour by the Saudi modernist Abdulhalim Radwi. Photo: Estate of Abdulhalim Radwi
Porter's research yields work that has been seen publicly before, such as this watercolour by the Saudi modernist Abdulhalim Radwi. Photo: Estate of Abdulhalim Radwi
Emy Kat grew up in Jeddah but lives in France. He returned to Al Balad for a residency in 2012 and this group of local children introduced him, he says, to places in the Old Town even he didn't know about. He memorialises them in group and individual photos.
Emy Kat grew up in Jeddah but lives in France. He returned to Al Balad for a residency in 2012 and this group of local children introduced him, he says, to places in the Old Town even he didn't know about. He memorialises them in group and individual photos.
Bashaer Hawsawi's family looked after pilgrims in Makkah. She made these collages of African fabric, bought in the Jeddah souq, and plastic brooms in reference to them.
Bashaer Hawsawi's family looked after pilgrims in Makkah. She made these collages of African fabric, bought in the Jeddah souq, and plastic brooms in reference to them.
Inspired by the question of her 'makan', or significant place, Asma Bahmim makes a wall out of the crumbling coral foundations of Al Balad in Jeddah, tucking wishes into its cracks.
Inspired by the question of her 'makan', or significant place, Asma Bahmim makes a wall out of the crumbling coral foundations of Al Balad in Jeddah, tucking wishes into its cracks.
Emy Kat says that when he was a child, he would take his bike and cycle through Al Balad. Later, he would hurry to get home so that his parents would not know he was lost in the labyrinth of the Old Town. This photo installation nods to that memory.
Emy Kat says that when he was a child, he would take his bike and cycle through Al Balad. Later, he would hurry to get home so that his parents would not know he was lost in the labyrinth of the Old Town. This photo installation nods to that memory.
A beautiful presentation of dafatir and artists' books show the artistic variety in the form. Here, Dia al-Azzawi's 'For the Rail and Hamad and Other Poems by Muzaffar al-Nawab'.
A beautiful presentation of dafatir and artists' books show the artistic variety in the form. Here, Dia al-Azzawi's 'For the Rail and Hamad and Other Poems by Muzaffar al-Nawab'.
In places, Porter's exhibition lays bare the artistic process, as in this drawing by Safeya Binzagr that is accompanied by the etching that preceded it. Photo: Darat Safeya Binzagr
In places, Porter's exhibition lays bare the artistic process, as in this drawing by Safeya Binzagr that is accompanied by the etching that preceded it. Photo: Darat Safeya Binzagr
Mohammed Hammad creates an allegorical story in the short film 'Yallah, Yallah Beenah!' of a young boy on the verge of manhood, full of references to witchcraft as well as anime.
Mohammed Hammad creates an allegorical story in the short film 'Yallah, Yallah Beenah!' of a young boy on the verge of manhood, full of references to witchcraft as well as anime.
Obadah Aljefri says this giant Moleskine notebook with its fantastical drawings also refers to his youth, when he grew up drawing. He pictures himself on the left-hand of the diptych. Porter's show is full of personal touches.
Obadah Aljefri says this giant Moleskine notebook with its fantastical drawings also refers to his youth, when he grew up drawing. He pictures himself on the left-hand of the diptych. Porter's show is full of personal touches.
Imran Qureshi's large-scale painting 'Do You Remember Still, How It Was Once', is inspired by a disaster in his studio: termites had eaten away at one of his folded paintings, in a perfectly symmetrical pattern.
Imran Qureshi's large-scale painting 'Do You Remember Still, How It Was Once', is inspired by a disaster in his studio: termites had eaten away at one of his folded paintings, in a perfectly symmetrical pattern.
Manal AlDowayan makes porcelain scrolls out of an Abbasid-era text of jurisprudence that her father had in his library, frustrating the viewer's desire for total knowledge of the work.
Manal AlDowayan makes porcelain scrolls out of an Abbasid-era text of jurisprudence that her father had in his library, frustrating the viewer's desire for total knowledge of the work.

Culture

Art

Ithra opens 21,39 show in Dhahran exploring local artists in a new light

The Saudi Art Council's annual exhibition has travelled to the Eastern Province for the first time

Melissa Gronlund
Melissa Gronlund

July 03, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

“What is your place — your makan?” curator Venetia Porter asked the artists for the latest 21,39 exhibition, The Saudi Art Council's annual initiative. “Can you take me to it?”

Porter’s show, Amakin, opened in March in Jeddah. It has now travelled for the first time in the programme's history, launching on Thursday at the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture — Ithra, the Saudi Aramco-funded art centre in the Eastern Province.

Porter's question yielded an intimate, personal and cross-generational exhibition, as visions of home — a changing home, a home one cannot go back to, a home being destroyed by climate change — emerge among the works by 28 artists.

Scroll through the gallery above to see some of the works on show at Ithra

“It was the era of endless Zoom conversations,” she recalls about her preparations for the exhibition, saying her initial plan had been to organise a group field trip across Saudi Arabia. The Covid-19 pandemic gave her video meetings instead, and an extra year to organise it, which she put to use researching young artists or lesser-known parts of historical practices, showing these alongside established Saudi and international names.

21,39 curator Venetia Porter in front of Bashaer Hawsawi's 'Cleansing' (2019)
21,39 curator Venetia Porter in front of Bashaer Hawsawi's 'Cleansing' (2019)

Places emerge through stories, with many of the works gesturing towards recalled or imaginary narratives, or personal and family memories. In a lovely pairing, Emy Kat captures Al Balad in Jeddah without a single image of a mashrabiya or carved woodwork. Instead, he exhibits close-ups of the bright cerulean blue found in the Old Town, in a choppy, stop-and-start grid — a throwback, he says, to when he used to wander through Al Balad as a boy and get lost in its labyrinth. The memory from his childhood sits alongside portraits of the small children who accompanied him when he went to shoot the photographs on a residency in 2012, on a visit from France.

Placed next to this is a wall made of the crumbling coral material of Al Balad, by Asma Bahmim, in which she has incorporated folded up bits of paper featuring her wishes, with snippets of their hoped-for outcomes barely visible.

Bashaer Hawsawi shows wall-based textile works in Cleansing (2019), for which she places the bristles of a red plastic broom on to African fabrics in neat, gridded patterns. Here, the materials tell of Hawsawi’s family history: some of her family were mutawifun, who take care of the pilgrims to Makkah, and who came from Nigeria generations ago.

One of the exhibition's highlights is the video Yallah, Yallah Beenah! (2022) by Mohammed Hammad, a surrealist take on the entrance into adulthood, complete with talking feet and laser-eyed witches. This note of surrealism and visual spectacle resonates throughout several works by young creators in the show, co-existing with Porter’s predilection towards artists’ books and works on paper.

A coven of young witches in Mohammed Hammad's fantastic film, 'Yallah, Yallah Beenah!' (2022), shown at 21,39. Photo: Saudi Art Council
A coven of young witches in Mohammed Hammad's fantastic film, 'Yallah, Yallah Beenah!' (2022), shown at 21,39. Photo: Saudi Art Council

At times, the tempo shift from spectacle towards the intimacy of artists' book is abrupt, but it is interesting to watch how the younger cohort of creators sought after both scale and the private reflection usually associated with drawing or notebooks. Obadah Aljefri, for example, created a giant lavender Moleskine notebook, adorned with kitsch, fantastical drawings that he describes as a collaboration between himself in the present and the child he used to be. Ending the show is Sara Abdu's sublime presentation of The Infinite Now, 15 hanging scrolls of paper in which she attempted to write a straight line in henna ink — a perforative act that attempted to site her “place” as out of body, out of mind.

Porter is the longtime curator of Islamic and contemporary Middle East art at the British Museum, where she has built up for the museum an important collection of works on paper. Her specialism in this area also grounds the 21,39 exhibition in a classicism, of the skills of draughtsmanship and calligraphy, which are on the wane in contemporary art. In some cases, that means showing the work of artists who still come up through classical training, such as Pakistani creators Imran Qureshi or Aisha Khalid, both in Lahore. Khalid’s green-textured patterns, minutely drawn, are overlaid with gold-leaf shapes in an evocation of the Kaaba.

Porter also reaches back into the past to show substantial presentations of senior names, such as Dia al-Azzawi, Safeya Binzagr and Abdulhalim Radwi, where the focus on the works on paper provides a glimpse of the artists' hand, something the formality of major creations usually obscures.

“I’m interested in artists who use paper. That is, I'm interested in process. In drawings, you can feel the hand of the artist, see their thought process,” Porter tells The National.

For Binzagr, for example, instead of her oil paintings, Porter chooses her watercolours, sketches and etchings — by far her more interesting work — in which Binzagr documents traditional rites, activities, children’s games and the dresses of different tribes of the kingdom. Juxtapositions of preparatory sketches and their outcome in etchings and prints demonstrate the process Binzagr took towards her final product.

This preparatory drawing for an etching by Safeya Binzagr depicts the family home in Jeddah's Old Town, where she was born in 1940. Photo: Darat Safeya Binzagr
This preparatory drawing for an etching by Safeya Binzagr depicts the family home in Jeddah's Old Town, where she was born in 1940. Photo: Darat Safeya Binzagr

Similarly, Porter shows not only Radwi's well-known, symbolist paintings, but the trove of sketches that he kept in his studio.

“For Radwi, too, most people know him for his oil paintings,” she says. “At one point I asked, what else does he have in his estate? And his son brought out an enormous portfolio with these drawings, which are completely unknown, unpublished. They’re undated, so they’re obviously pieces he did not expect to exhibit.

"You see in these drawings an informality that you lose in the oil paintings. And at one point, he clearly decided he wanted to experiment with print gouaches. So this has been an opportunity to find, even from the established artists, work that people don't normally associate with them.”

Porter's research yielded work that has been seen publicly before, such as this watercolour by the Saudi modernist Abdulhalim Radwi. Photo: Estate of Abdulhalim Radwi
Porter's research yielded work that has been seen publicly before, such as this watercolour by the Saudi modernist Abdulhalim Radwi. Photo: Estate of Abdulhalim Radwi

Porter also researched the artists of the Department of the Cultural and Arts Society in the Eastern Province (the Jame’a Al Thagafah wa Alfunoon), which emerged in the 1990s and is less well known than other modernist art societies in the kingdom. Some exquisite works by Abdulrahman AlSoliman, new for the Ithra exhibition, display the Al Sharqiya painter’s responses to the damage done to the coast during the First Gulf War, when oil spills travelled up from Kuwait and decimated bird and plant life.

The historical additions help move the exhibition away from the same roster of artists that Saudi Arabia's scene at times cycles through. Indeed, this is the first fully public 21,39 since the Covid-19 hiatus (the art historian Fabien Danesi curated a show for last year that was unable to open), and it emerges in a new context in the kingdom's contemporary art landscape.

Read more

Wadi AlFann: pioneering land artists commissioned for AlUla's desert art venue

Once alone in its goals, it now sits among Diriyah Biennale, Desert X AlUla, the myriad Ministry of Culture projects and those of the new Jeddah arts complex Hayy Jameel, located not far from 21,39’s traditional Gold Moor mall digs.

Having 21,39 at Ithra underlines the fact that all these exist in a spirit of collaboration instead of competition, says Farah Abushullaih, head of Ithra Museums.

“The Saudi Art Council is one of the most established entities in the kingdom,” she says. “They’re a part of the movers and shakers of the industry. We share a similar vision and mission when it comes to wanting to support and develop the local ecosystem here in the kingdom, but also to make sure that we show international voices as well.”

Future 21,39 exhibitions might again travel to Ithra, says Abushullaih. At Ithra, the museum is re-examining its programming after two years of extreme disruption, as with everywhere else in the world. A more local emphasis is likely to take hold, perhaps because the enforced locality of lockdown has made artists and curators realise, as Porter did for Amakin, how much research there is to be done about the communities we already live in.

Amakin is at King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture — Ithra in Dhahran until September 30; www.ithra.com

Scroll through the gallery below to see images from Desert X AlUla 2022

'Geography of Hope' by Abdullah AlOthman references theories of light refraction rooting back to the early days of desert civilization. All photos: Desert X AlUla / Lance Gerber
'Geography of Hope' by Abdullah AlOthman references theories of light refraction rooting back to the early days of desert civilization. All photos: Desert X AlUla / Lance Gerber
Shadia Alem's sculptural installation 'I Have Seen Thousands of Stars and One Fell in AlUla' adapts the art of origami.
Shadia Alem's sculptural installation 'I Have Seen Thousands of Stars and One Fell in AlUla' adapts the art of origami.
Zeinab AlHashemi's 'Camouflage 2.0' uses discarded camel skins on an abstract, geometric base, resembling a rock formation in the desert.
Zeinab AlHashemi's 'Camouflage 2.0' uses discarded camel skins on an abstract, geometric base, resembling a rock formation in the desert.
Shaikha AlMazrou's 'Measuring the Physicality of Void' is a steel-made inflated structure.
Shaikha AlMazrou's 'Measuring the Physicality of Void' is a steel-made inflated structure.
Dana Awartani's 'Where the Dwellers Lay' draws inspiration from the vernacular architecture of AlUla.
Dana Awartani's 'Where the Dwellers Lay' draws inspiration from the vernacular architecture of AlUla.
'Desert Kite' by Sultan bin Fahad is a mud structure.
'Desert Kite' by Sultan bin Fahad is a mud structure.
Serge Attukwei Clottey's 'Gold Falls' addresses the experience of globalisation, migration and water equity.
Serge Attukwei Clottey's 'Gold Falls' addresses the experience of globalisation, migration and water equity.
Claudia Comte's 'Dark Suns, Bright Waves' features a progression of walls.
Claudia Comte's 'Dark Suns, Bright Waves' features a progression of walls.
Jim Denevan creates ephemeral drawings in 'Angle of Repose'.
Jim Denevan creates ephemeral drawings in 'Angle of Repose'.
Stephanie Deumer has created an underground greenhouse for 'Under the Same Sun'.
Stephanie Deumer has created an underground greenhouse for 'Under the Same Sun'.
Alicja Kwade's 'In Blur' reflect and frame the natural artefacts she encountered on the desert floor.
Alicja Kwade's 'In Blur' reflect and frame the natural artefacts she encountered on the desert floor.
Khalil Rabah 'Grounding' is a mirage of an orchard of olive trees.
Khalil Rabah 'Grounding' is a mirage of an orchard of olive trees.
Monika Sosnowska's 'Silent Witnesses of the Past' uses heritage rails from the Hejaz railway, that ran from Damascus to Madinah.
Monika Sosnowska's 'Silent Witnesses of the Past' uses heritage rails from the Hejaz railway, that ran from Damascus to Madinah.
Ayman Zedani's 'The Valley of the Desert Keepers' is a soundscape installation in a rocky cavern.
Ayman Zedani's 'The Valley of the Desert Keepers' is a soundscape installation in a rocky cavern.
Shezad Dawood's 'Coral Alchemy I (Dipsastrea Speciosa)' explores ideas of the geobiological relationship between the desert floor and nearby Red Sea.
Shezad Dawood's 'Coral Alchemy I (Dipsastrea Speciosa)' explores ideas of the geobiological relationship between the desert floor and nearby Red Sea.
More from Sholto Byrnes
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.5-litre%20V12%20and%20three%20electric%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C015hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C500Nm%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eight-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Early%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh2%20million%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
While you're here
While you're here

Michael Young: Where is Lebanon headed?

Kareem Shaheen: I owe everything to Beirut

Raghida Dergham: We have to bounce back

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Read more about the coronavirus
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FIGHT%20CARD
%3Cp%3EAnthony%20Joshua%20v%20Otto%20Wallin%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20heavyweight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDeontay%20Wilder%20v%20Joseph%20Parker%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20heavyweight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDmitry%20Bivol%20v%20Lyndon%20Arthur%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20light%20heavyweight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDaniel%20Dubois%20v%20Jarrell%20Miller%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20heavyweight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFilip%20Hrgovic%20v%20Mark%20de%20Mori%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20heavyweight%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EArslanbek%20Makhmudov%20v%20Agit%20Kabayel%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20heavyweight%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFrank%20Sanchez%20v%20Junior%20Fa%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20heavyweight%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJai%20Opetaia%20v%20Ellis%20Zorro%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20cruiserweight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
While you're here
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C600rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C500-4%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.9L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh119%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
While you're here
More on animal trafficking
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203S%20Money%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20London%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Zhiznevsky%2C%20Eugene%20Dugaev%20and%20Andrei%20Dikouchine%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%245.6%20million%20raised%20in%20total%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Teaching in coronavirus times
Best Foreign Language Film nominees

Capernaum (Lebanon)

Cold War (Poland)

Never Look Away (Germany)

Roma (Mexico)

Shoplifters (Japan)

THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

Ultra processed foods

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.

Killing of Qassem Suleimani

Factfile on Garbine Muguruza:

Name: Garbine Muguruza (ESP)

World ranking: 15 (will rise to 5 on Monday)

Date of birth: October 8, 1993

Place of birth: Caracas, Venezuela

Place of residence: Geneva, Switzerland

Height: 6ft (1.82m)

Career singles titles: 4

Grand Slam titles: 2 (French Open 2016, Wimbledon 2017)

Career prize money: $13,928,719

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
On Women's Day
While you're here
Kareem Shaheen on Canada
The specs

BMW M8 Competition Coupe

Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8

Power 625hp at 6,000rpm

Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm

Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto

Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec

Top speed 305kph

Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km

Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)

On sale Jan/Feb 2020
 

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

While you're here
Plastic tipping points
On Women's Day
How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

About%20My%20Father
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELaura%20Terruso%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERobert%20De%20Niro%2C%20Sebastian%20Maniscalco%2C%20Kim%20Cattrall%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
12%20restaurants%20opening%20at%20the%20hotel%20this%20month
%3Cp%3EAriana%E2%80%99s%20Persian%20Kitchen%3Cbr%3EDinner%20by%20Heston%20Blumenthal%3Cbr%3EEstiatorio%20Milos%3Cbr%3EHouse%20of%20Desserts%3Cbr%3EJaleo%20by%20Jose%20Andres%3Cbr%3ELa%20Mar%3Cbr%3ELing%20Ling%3Cbr%3ELittle%20Venice%20Cake%20Company%3Cbr%3EMalibu%2090265%3Cbr%3ENobu%20by%20the%20Beach%3Cbr%3EResonance%20by%20Heston%20Blumenthal%3Cbr%3EThe%20Royal%20Tearoom%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
E-cigarettes report
Know before you go
  • Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
  • If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
  • By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
  • Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
  • Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.

 

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

The BIO:

He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal

He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side

By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam

Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border

He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push

His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level

While you're here
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Credit Score explained

What is a credit score?

In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.

Why is it important?

Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.

How is it calculated?

The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.

How can I improve my score?

By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.

How do I know if my score is low or high?

By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.

How much does it cost?

A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.

Types of bank fraud

1) Phishing

Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.

2) Smishing

The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.

3) Vishing

The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.

4) SIM swap

Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.

5) Identity theft

Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.

6) Prize scams

Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.

Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.  

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery 

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

Company Profile

Company name: Big Farm Brothers

Started: September 2020

Founders: Vishal Mahajan and Navneet Kaur

Based: Dubai Investment Park 1

Industry: food and agriculture

Initial investment: $205,000

Current staff: eight to 10

Future plan: to expand to other GCC markets

The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

Price, base: Dh1,731,672

Engine: 6.5-litre V12

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm

Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm

Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km

Updated: July 04, 2022, 9:36 AM`
ArtSaudi Arabia