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.
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Read more:
New Year's Eve food and party guide 2017
A foodies guide to Dubai Parks and Resorts
Christmas in the desert need not be a lonely affair
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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.
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
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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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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Griselda
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