Iftar at Dubai's Movenpick Hotel and Apartments: Dh68
Benefits: Cobone.com is offering 50 per cent off an international iftar buffet at the Movenpick in Dubai's Bur Dubai. The deal, which includes Ramadan favourites as well as live cooking stations and tea and coffee, is valid daily from 7pm to 9pm during the holy month. You can buy up to eight vouchers per table and children under six eat for free.
Watch out for: This is a group-sharing deal so you need to snap up the deal before Tuesday.
Iftar at Abu Dhabi's Hyatt Capital Gate Hotel: Dh180
Benefits: Enjoy a luxury iftar at one of the capital's five-star hotels, part of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre . Dine in or dine out on the terrace to watch the sunset. There are plenty of traditional drinks on offer such as organic laban, ayran, qamer el din and kardadeh. Diners can eat every day of the week during Ramadan from sunset to 9.30pm.
Watch out for: This is a lavish affair so expect to pay more than some other iftar deals.
Donate iftar meal boxes for two labourers: Dh30
Benefits: To tie in with the spirit of giving during the holy month, Groupon is offering a 50 per cent discount on two meals for those in need. You can buy as many as the vouchers as you wish at Groupon.ae and Sea View Catering services will distribute the packages. Each box contains dates, samosa and mixed pakora, chicken biryani and a cupcake. The vouchers are valid until August 7.
Watch out for: This is a group-sharing deal, so you only have eight days left to buy the deal.
Scorebox
Dubai Sports City Eagles 7 Bahrain 88
Eagles
Try: Penalty
Bahrain
Tries: Gibson 2, Morete 2, Bishop 2, Bell 2, Behan, Fameitau, Sanson, Roberts, Bennett, Radley
Cons: Radley 4, Whittingham 5
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
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.
The squad traveling to Brazil:
Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
