If you are looking to enhance your home, a new indoor gardening device from LG allows you to cultivate vegetables, herbs and flowers in your home all year long, regardless of the climate outside, while the voice-activated Sound Mirror feature acts as a speaker and striking design feature.
Photography fans will appreciate the limited-edition Leica D-Lux 7 Vans x Ray Barbee, while those looking for a new pair of earbuds may want to check out the Huawei FreeBuds Lipstick, which combines a sleek design with a dramatic pop of colour. Here's our pick of the coolest gadgets around.
Tiiun
LG has unveiled a free-standing indoor gardening appliance called Tiiun, from the Korean verb “to sprout”. It allows even the most novice gardeners to cultivate vegetables, herbs and flowers in their homes all year long, regardless of the climate outside. Tiiun features two shelves that can each hold up to six all-in-one seed packages and three different kinds of seed kits. Each seed package contains 10 holes for seed germination, so users can grow a variety of greens. A smart gardening system uses various LG technologies to support a largely automated plant cultivation process. A Flexible Weather Control System precisely adjusts Tiiun’s internal temperature to create the optimal conditions for organic growth, while light sources mimic the natural cycle of the day, and water is delivered eight times every 24 hours. The internal structure of Tiiun is designed to encourage photosynthesis, amplifying the effect of the internal LED light source, while a transparent door lets users watch their plants grow. With LG’s ThinQ app, users can monitor the process from afar, check or change settings and receive notifications when the water tank needs refilling.
Release date yet to be announced; www.lg.com
Leica D-Lux 7 Vans x Ray Barbee
Leica Camera has teamed up with two stalwarts of the skateboarding scene – fashion label Vans, and skater, musician and photographer Ray Barbee – to create the limited-edition Leica D-Lux 7 Vans x Ray Barbee. The camera is covered in Vans’s signature checkerboard pattern, while Barbee’s signature appears on the top plate. The set includes a specially designed carrier strap and matching dust bag. One side of the bag is emblazoned with a Barbee quote: “The joy is in capturing the journey”. The camera has the same technical specifications as the serially produced Leica D-Lux, which has a large Micro Four Thirds sensor and fast zoom lens with a full-frame-equivalent range of 24 to 75 millimetres. There is also a Vans T-shirt and a pair of shoes featuring the aforementioned quote.
€1,495 ($1,694); www.leica-camera.com
Huawei FreeBuds Lipstick
Huawei has given its earbuds a makeover. The sleek design mimics a lipstick case, while the red hue provides a dramatic pop of colour. Beyond the in-your-face aesthetics, there’s a 14.3mm LCP dynamic driver inside each bud and they offer a frequency range of 40 kHz. Adaptive ear-matching technology optimises sound quality based on the shape of your ears, with a unique noise cancellation effect. Each bud is fitted with its own “bass-enhancing power engine”, but weighs only 4.1 grams. They also come packaged in a scented gift box, to really amp up the glamour.
Dh899 ($245); www.huawei.com
Samsung Home Hub
The new Samsung Home Hub allows you to manage all the smart Samsung appliances in your space through a single AI-driven, tablet-style touchscreen device. The 8.4-inch gadget can be operated either from its dock or used on the go, and can be controlled by voice via Bixby. It uses AI and SmartThings to understand users’ needs and automatically provide appropriate solutions. You can plan, purchase and prep weekly meals with SmartThings Cooking, while SmartThings Clothing Care connects to appliances such as the Bespoke Washer and Dryer and the Bespoke AirDresser to provide customised care options for your various garments. SmartThings Pet allows you to check in on your furry friends with the smart camera on the Bespoke Jet Bot AI+ and SmartThings Air can provide automatic dehumidification and connect with air-conditioners and purifiers to manage the air quality in your home.
Available later this year; www.samsung.com
Sound Mirror
This voice-activated acoustic mirror acts as a speaker and a striking interior feature. Audio can be streamed wirelessly from mobile devices, using Bluetooth, so you can listen to music or podcasts in your living room or bedroom, depending on where you place the device. It is waterproof and features an AI assistant and smart home capabilities. Set-up can be completed in minutes with the Sound Mirror app, in which adjustable bass and treble controls allow you to customise the sound quality. The mirror comes in round and arched versions, in gold, chrome, matt black and matt white, with customised colours also available.
Release date yet to be announced; www.soundmirror.ai
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Manchester United v Young Boys, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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More from Neighbourhood Watch
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
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
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Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
Company%20Profile
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
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
Company Profile
Company name: Fine Diner
Started: March, 2020
Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and food delivery
Initial investment: Dh75,000
Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp
Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000
Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months
Virtual banks explained
What is a virtual bank?
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.
What’s the draw in Asia?
Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.
Is Hong Kong short of banks?
No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year.
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
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
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Read more about the coronavirus
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
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ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final