Why Dubrovnik?
Even the hordes of cruise passengers that descend on this Unesco World Heritage Site can't diminish the beauty of this glittering city jutting into the Adriatic Sea. The medieval walls that circle the Old Town look like something out of a fairy tale – a fact not lost on fans of Game of Thrones who have been adding another layer of tourism to the star of the HBO drama, Croatia's most popular destination.
The polished marble stones of the main pedestrianised thoroughfare, Stradun, gleam in the sun, flanked by green-shuttered stone houses. Walk around the medieval walls (100 Croatian kuna [Dh54]) for the best views of the baroque and Renaissance palaces and terracotta rooftops.
A comfortable bed
The super-luxurious Villa Dubrovnik (www.villa-dubrovnik.hr; 00385 20 500300) is in a sublime setting on the cliffs overlooking St Jacob's Beach. All 56 rooms have sea-view terraces, and a boat regularly ferries guests over to the Old Town. There's a private rocky beach down below, and the indoor pool has enormous windows that open on to the terrace. Doubles cost from €240 (Dh983), room only.
Tucked away in a peaceful lane off Stradun is St Joseph's (www.stjosephs.hr; 00385 95 822 3740), a stylish new boutique hotel that opened last summer. Its six elegant rooms have an upmarket French country-cottage feel, with exposed pale stone walls and a real sense of history in a 500-year-old house – but the kitchenettes and marble bathrooms are thoroughly modern. Doubles cost from €250 (Dh1,024), including breakfast.
You're guaranteed a warm welcome at Fresh Sheets (www.freshsheetsbedandbreakfast.com; 00385 91896 7509), a cosy B&B run by a Croatian-Canadian couple in a historic house by the cathedral. The light, airy rooms have smart contemporary decor, and one overlooks the bustling Gundulic daily market (but has excellent soundproofing). Doubles cost from €188 (Dh770), which includes a very generous breakfast.
Find your feet
Flanked by the Pile and Ploce gates, the Old Town is the heart of the tourist industry. Just outside Ploce Gate is the Old Town's pebbly beach, Banje. Pile Gate is a busy transport hub, with buses disgorging passengers from the cruise ships. Here you'll find the main tourist office at Brsalje 5 (www.tzdubrovnik.hr).
Walk beyond Pile Gate and you reach the newer districts of Lapad and Babin Kuk, where modern hotels hover above family-friendly beaches. Next door is Gruž, the departure point for ferries heading to islands including Mljet.
Looming over the city is Mount Srd, connected by cable car (www.dubrovnikcablecar.com; 100 kuna [Dh54]) – or a two-hour hike. Once at the 405-metre peak, you're rewarded with sweeping views of the city and the rocky coast.
Meet the locals
Climb the steep steps leading off Stradun on Palmoticeva to D'Vino (www.dvino.net; 00385 20 321130), a buzzing bar with a vaulted interior and tables squeezed into the narrow street. South of Stradun towards the Pile Gate is the Dionysus Pub (00385 99 649 9244), run by a passionate ambassador for local brands. Buza Bar (00385 98 361 934) is a tourist magnet, but locals too head to this beautiful spot clinging to the rocks beneath the city walls, especially at sunset. Residents escaping the Old Town crowds haunt the bars along Iva Vojnovica street in Lapad, including Culto and Mirakul.
Book a table
There's more than a hint of Asia at the relaxed Azur (www.facebook.com/AzurDubrovnik; 00385 20 324 806) on a tiny street near the aquarium. Mediterranean dishes are given a hefty eastern kick, such as grilled swordfish in black curry sauce (148 kuna [Dh80]). Round off the meal with sticky baklava (28 kuna [Dh15]).
If you want to take a breather from the Old Town, try Pantarul (www.pantarul.com; 00385 20 333 486) in Lapad for innovative takes on Croatian cuisine. The five-course tasting menu (270 kuna [Dh146]) is good value and includes steak tartare, duck liver mousse and veal rib confit.
Get your fill of delicious Ston oysters at Oyster & Sushi Bar Bota (www.bota-sare.hr; 00385 20 324 034), a shiny, modern restaurant near the cathedral. It's a sushi, teriyaki and tempura temple to Adriatic seafood: try the oyster roll in tempura (46 kuna [Dh25]).
Shopper’s paradise
Dubrovnik isn't known for extensive shopping, but there's a large collection of designer labels at Maria Store (www.mariastore.hr; 00385 20 321 330) on Sveti Dominika near Ploce Gate. Check out Je*s (www.jegerstar.com; 00385 20 323843) at Od Puca 7 for high-street labels. The main daily food market is at Gruž Harbour, a handy place to stock up on picnic treats if you're taking an island ferry. The market in Gundulic Square is more geared towards tourists, but is still a lively spectacle.
What to avoid
Stradun at midday, when cruise crowds throng the Old Town. You won’t be able to move.
Don’t miss
Escape the city for a day by catching a boat to the island of Lokrum. Covered in forested trails and ringed by rocky beaches, it’s an idyllic spot for a lazy picnic.
Go there
A return flight with Qatar Airways (www.qatarairways.com) from Dubai to Dubrovnik, via Doha and Athens, takes about nine hours and costs from Dh3,115, including taxes.
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Biggest%20applause
%3Cp%3EAsked%20to%20rate%20Boris%20Johnson's%20leadership%20out%20of%2010%2C%20Mr%20Sunak%20awarded%20a%20full%2010%20for%20delivering%20Brexit%20%E2%80%94%20remarks%20that%20earned%20him%20his%20biggest%20round%20of%20applause%20of%20the%20night.%20%22My%20views%20are%20clear%2C%20when%20he%20was%20great%20he%20was%20great%20and%20it%20got%20to%20a%20point%20where%20we%20need%20to%20move%20forward.%20In%20delivering%20a%20solution%20to%20Brexit%20and%20winning%20an%20election%20that's%20a%2010%2F10%20-%20you've%20got%20to%20give%20the%20guy%20credit%20for%20that%2C%20no-one%20else%20could%20probably%20have%20done%20that.%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
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THE SPECS
Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 518bhp
Torque: 625Nm
Speed: 0-100kmh 5.3 seconds
Price: Dh633,435
On sale: now
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
