It might be convenient for brevity’s sake, but it wouldn’t be accurate to label Asker Afaunov as Russian, says the 25-year-old, who works in a Dubai film studio as a post-production editor. “We’re from a very obscure place in the North Caucasus Mountains, a tiny little area between Georgia and Chechnya, [close enough] to the border to get away with saying we’re Russian. But we’re not.”
Afaunov and his family are Muslims who hail from the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, a federal subject of Russia and home to the Adiga or Adyghe people, known as Circassians. The Afaunov's hometown is Nalchik, the region's capital.
“My parents and I always have my brother’s family with us, including my sister-in-law, who helps my mother cook. And we have relatives from our hometown joining us whenever we can, and guests. Ramadan is really a time of togetherness for us, and the more around the iftar table, the better,” Afaunov says.
Like most Muslims, iftar commences with dates and a glass of water for the Afaunovs, and then, like most Russians and Eastern Europeans – whether from the Ukraine, Poland, Belarus or Lithuania – they often dig into the famously sour, reddish-purple beetroot soup known as borscht.
“My mom is all about that soup,” Afaunov says. “In general, a variation of soup is always a must, whether it’s for iftar or just dinner. But my mother pours all her love into borscht. It’s her holy grail,” he says.
The recipes for borscht vary, but beets, vegetables and sour cream are always the main ingredients. “Sour cream is a really big deal for our cuisine, we use it in almost everything, and families make their own. When we visit our hometown, we are always given homemade sour cream as gifts,” Afaunov says. A popular meal for iftar is a chicken dish known as gedlibge or jedlibzche, cooked in sour cream and paprika. “We have that almost every day,” he says. It’s a dish children are introduced to early on.
A favourite of the family is nejinka salad, which resembles a cake. It consists of layers of pineapple chunks, corn kernels, boiled and shredded chicken, lots of cheese and boiled eggs. Between each layer is plenty of mayonnaise, and the top is sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, for texture. "I really love this salad," Afaunov says.
Other dishes typically found on the iftar table include Circassian lakum, which is unleavened maize bread that is often fried, as well as chirjin, a bread made from corn flour. Peppers stuffed with minced meat and rice, and a crab salad would round off an iftar, but nothing is complete without a black tea to sip on, made in this case with salt, pepper, butter and milk.
"It's a very traditional tea for us – it's bitter, and it's our national drink. We often drink it along with smoked cheese. It goes with savoury dishes more than sweet dishes, to be honest," Afaunov says.
Dessert in general is not a "big thing" for his people. "We are not very dessert-friendly, and I think it's a cultural thing," he says. "We are not indulgent, everything is strict and simple and to the point, and that extends to the food. It's nothing extravagant, so sweets are not necessary."
Still, the family say they have a weakness for honey cake, which they like to indulge in during Ramadan, as well as a sweet compote drink made by boiling fruit with sugar. "It's a very refreshing drink; perfect if you've been fasting," Afaunov says.
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Read more:
Halva, bey’s soup and burek give Bosnians a bittersweet taste of home during Ramadan
A Malaysian guide to iftar: sayur lodeh and plenty of sharing with friends
International iftars to try in the UAE
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CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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
Ferrari
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Price: From Dh650,000
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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Price: From Dh117,059
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%20profile
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Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Company%20profile
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
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