Dark tales with horror and gory details have always been a favourite of mine, especially ones based of real-life events. Nothing makes you feel more alive than feeling afraid. In all these stories, the protagonists end up in positions where they’re vulnerable and have to show what they are really made of.
1984 by George Orwell (1949)
A recommendation to all the readers fascinated with history like me. Orwell wrote about a dystopian future he imagined and created Big Brother, where governments are with constantly watching their populations. Orwell’s depiction of the future is far from true, but definitely relatable. In today’s world we are constantly supervised, whether it’s by the CCTV cameras on every building or the countless controversies of electronic devices and social media accounts being monitored.
The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Milligan (1981)
Milligan is the first person in US history to be absolved of major crimes by pleading multiple personality disorder. Milligan committed many heinous crimes, but after reading his story I couldn’t help but feel some empathy for the ill-minded. Billy takes the roles of over 20 different personalities that control his body. His personalities battle each other for superiority over Billy’s mind, making him take unnecessary decisions that pushed him to live the life of crime he did.
The Analyst by John Katzenbach (2002)
The story is about the life of 52-year-old psychiatrist Dr Frederick Starks, who is put to the test when one of his former patients blames him for ruining his life and swears not to rest until he has ruined his. He gives his psychiatrist an ultimatum: either play along with his games, kill himself, or witness the deaths of 52 relatives. Slowly, Starks starts to see his whole world crumble right under him.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (2006)
Margaret Lea, a writer whose past constantly haunts her, is summoned by Vida Winter, a writer famous for her works about her wonderful life stories, which turned out to be lies covering up an aching past. Vida, realising her days are numbered, wants Margaret to write her authentic biography. Margaret becomes a witness to the haunted house, distorted family relationships and the smell of the death lurking in every corner, kept my eyes glued to the pages wondering what’s next.
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Zarle Williams (1845)
The book is based on the events of the heroic life of Frederick Douglass. It is a wonderful example of the triumph of the oppressed against the oppressor. Frederick speaks about his experiences with different slave owners and their efforts to keep him uneducated. He believed the only way to be free is to learn and spent his entire life educating himself, although everyone tried to stop him. There is definitely a lesson to learn from, as he said himself, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress”.
Abdullah Aldakheel is an intern for The National. He is studying journalism and media at Swansea University
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Read more:
My Favourite Reads: Evelyn Lau
My favourite reads: Rupert Hawksley
My favourite reads: Omnia Al Saleh
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EXPATS
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Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
Key developments in maritime dispute
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
NBA Finals so far
(Toronto lead 3-1 in best-of-seven series_
Game 1 Raptors 118 Warriors 109
Game 2 Raptors 104 Warriors 109
Game 3 Warriors 109 Raptors 123
Game 4 Warriors 92 Raptors 105
Francesco Totti's bio
Born September 27, 1976
Position Attacking midifelder
Clubs played for (1) - Roma
Total seasons 24
First season 1992/93
Last season 2016/17
Appearances 786
Goals 307
Titles (5) - Serie A 1; Italian Cup 2; Italian Supercup 2
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
more from Janine di Giovanni
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
RESULT
Liverpool 4 Southampton 0
Jota (2', 32')
Thiago (37')
Van Dijk (52')
Man of the match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
Britain's travel restrictions
- A negative test 2 days before flying
- Complete passenger locator form
- Book a post-arrival PCR test
- Double-vaccinated must self-isolate
- 11 countries on red list quarantine
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
