All is fair in the ageing game



Mr T is sometimes teased about the significant increase of silver amid his head of thankfully thick hair. It is one of those predominantly Arab comments that I abhor: a half-joking, half-serious throwaway remark that the man with the salt-and-pepper hair must surely have a wife at home who is driving him nuts and ageing him prematurely.

Mr T's hair has been heavy on the salt lately, and the change is even more apparent when he allows it to grow. I am biased enough to find my husband attractive regardless of the frequency of his barber visits, but I don't think it's solely love, blinded as it may be, that makes me so accepting.

I secretly like it when Mr T looks scruffy and unkempt, and I have my reasons, as embarrassing as they may be.

I don't mind when Mr T's stubble begins to demand its own mailing address. I never point out that his sideburns are about to overrun his ears. I have a secret affinity for the torn jeans, the muddy sneakers and the faded T-shirt with the hole in the armpit.

When I catch him looking in the mirror, inspecting the takeover of silver atop his own head, I hold my breath and pray that today will be the one day when he won't turn to me and tease, with that undertone of seriousness, that he wants to dye his hair.

"Why not? How come you get to dye your hair and I don't?" He asks me, in mock despair.

Mr T dyeing his hair would be too much for me to handle. If he ever decides to go through with the bluff, I know I'll field a panic attack.

See, my dreadful little secret is that the pleasure I get out of Mr T's occasionally bedraggled appearance is a mere reflection of my selfishness. Those are the times when I get to look younger than him, and if not hotter, then at the same level in the spectrum of attractiveness.

When I first met him and introduced him to family and friends, quite a few commented on his good looks.

"Wow, he's hot - hotter than you, even!"

Those people - and they know who they are - will never be able to redeem themselves.

Those observations stuck with me. He is only a year older than I am; I have to work hard at appearing fresh and young beside my "hot" husband. Is it any wonder I would rejoice at his silver temples?

He may not have noticed, but the more torn the jeans and the more faded the T-shirt, the more obvious my retaliation. That's when I choose the bright and hip blouse, the control-top jeans and the soaring stilettos. During those days when he is in need of a barber visit, I schedule weekly appointments at a hairdresser. My locks have never been so shiny.

And I think I've taken care of any preposterous ideas he may have had of camouflaging his silver. My most recent outburst at the unfairness of a society that marks a man as mature and distinguished when he sports a little bit of grey but a woman as dowdy and ageing when hers begins to show, has probably frightened him off the subject. I may or may not have resorted to tears, which, incidentally, always work.

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PROVISIONAL FIXTURE LIST

Premier League

Wednesday, June 17 (Kick-offs uae times) Aston Villa v Sheffield United 9pm; Manchester City v Arsenal 11pm 

Friday, June 19 Norwich v Southampton 9pm; Tottenham v Manchester United 11pm  

Saturday, June 20 Watford v Leicester 3.30pm; Brighton v Arsenal 6pm; West Ham v Wolves 8.30pm; Bournemouth v Crystal Palace 10.45pm 

Sunday, June 21 Newcastle v Sheffield United 2pm; Aston Villa v Chelsea 7.30pm; Everton v Liverpool 10pm 

Monday, June 22 Manchester City v Burnley 11pm (Sky)

Tuesday, June 23 Southampton v Arsenal 9pm; Tottenham v West Ham 11.15pm 

Wednesday, June 24 Manchester United v Sheffield United 9pm; Newcastle v Aston Villa 9pm; Norwich v Everton 9pm; Liverpool v Crystal Palace 11.15pm

Thursday, June 25 Burnley v Watford 9pm; Leicester v Brighton 9pm; Chelsea v Manchester City 11.15pm; Wolves v Bournemouth 11.15pm

Sunday June 28 Aston Villa vs Wolves 3pm; Watford vs Southampton 7.30pm 

Monday June 29 Crystal Palace vs Burnley 11pm

Tuesday June 30 Brighton vs Manchester United 9pm; Sheffield United vs Tottenham 11.15pm 

Wednesday July 1 Bournemouth vs Newcastle 9pm; Everton vs Leicester 9pm; West Ham vs Chelsea 11.15pm

Thursday July 2 Arsenal vs Norwich 9pm; Manchester City vs Liverpool 11.15pm

 

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.

Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.

Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.

When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety

'Nope'
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SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20electric%20motors%20with%20102kW%20battery%20pack%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E570hp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20890Nm%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Up%20to%20428km%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C700%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

if you go

The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow. 
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes). 

'The Batman'

Stars:Robert Pattinson

Director:Matt Reeves

Rating: 5/5

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 

W.
Wael Kfoury
(Rotana)

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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