Visit Last Exit to enjoy live music on Friday nights. Courtesy Last Exit
Visit Last Exit to enjoy live music on Friday nights. Courtesy Last Exit
Visit Last Exit to enjoy live music on Friday nights. Courtesy Last Exit
Visit Last Exit to enjoy live music on Friday nights. Courtesy Last Exit

Hit List: Live music at Last Exit, indulge in frankincense at Luban Spa, and more


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Last Exit Live

It's been "live" for a few weeks now, but we can't help but get excited about the Last Exit Live evenings being held weekly at the popular food truck parks between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It's a fantastic concept featuring musicians, DJs, dancers and other performers every Friday night from 7pm to 11pm. If you've got a musical talent, you won't just need to watch, according to organisers there are plans to create a roving busking crew that will do the rounds of the parks. So, if you're looking for a way to liven up your Friday nights, this is it. For details jump online at www.facebook.com/lastexitdubai

Gingerly does it

It is certainly the time for it, and with gingerbread-making kits in the stores for families to try, the displays across the Emirates are sure to attract serious attention this weekend. The best of them include the supersized 14-metre gingerbread display of the Burj Khalifa which has taken up residence at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, and the life-sized one at Sheraton Mall of the Emirates, which also includes a festive market. In Abu Dhabi, you won’t want to miss the fun at The Galleria on Al Maryah Island. With its winter wonderland, it’s magical.

A gingerbread Burj Khalifa awaits visitors in Dubai International Airport's Terminal 3. Courtesy of Address Dubai Marina
A gingerbread Burj Khalifa awaits visitors in Dubai International Airport's Terminal 3. Courtesy of Address Dubai Marina

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It is set to be Soho good

If you’re looking for a new way to ring in the weekend or the new year, you’ll want to keep Soho Garden in mind. It’s the new entertainment venue at Meydan Racecourse and it’s launching tonight. Grammy Award-winning DJ Roger Sanchez is kicking things off and there is free entry and 30 per cent discounts on Uber rides to entice the punters. Enjoy a late afternoon by the pool and then dance your way into the evening under the stars with views of the Dubai skyline. We reckon it’s sure to draw a crowd, given its grandstand digs. Phone 056 822 2559 for details.

Book your spot to enjoy New Year's Eve at Soho Garden. Courtesy Soho Garden
Book your spot to enjoy New Year's Eve at Soho Garden. Courtesy Soho Garden

Festive Frankincense

It’s the school holidays and as we all know, there is plenty going on. So one of the newest spas in Dubai might well be on to something with their 90 minutes of bliss promotion. Who doesn’t want to end the year with a pampering session? The beauty of this offer from Luban Spa is that the staff use Omani frankincense in its Yuletide treatment, and claims to be one of the only spas to do so. The 90-minute Indulge package includes a reviving body scrub, back or foot massage and a mini Elemis facial, and costs Dh450. So, if you’re like us, and in need of a pick-me-up or want to spoil someone close to you, contact them by emailing lubanspa.reservation@outlook.com

Enjoy the indulgent Yuletide treatment at Luban Spa. Courtesy Luban Spa
Enjoy the indulgent Yuletide treatment at Luban Spa. Courtesy Luban Spa
In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Company%20Profile
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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

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

Honeymoonish
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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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
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Griselda
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