Ancient treasures
If, like us, you are keen to enjoy the balmy weather while it lasts, grab some friends and a spirit of adventure and try a traditional pearl diving experience. For hundreds of years, the world's finest pearls were found in the Arabian Gulf, and starting next month you can have the chance to learn about and take part in this ancient practice. The journey starts at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, where once you've donned your traditional diving clothing, you'll be whisked away on an authentic dhow to use original pearl diving methods to collect oysters in the shallow waters of the Gulf. Onboard the dhow, singing and storytelling will while away the time, as Emirati fish and rice dishes are served for lunch.
Starting on March 2, pearl diving takes place Tuesday to Saturday. Participants leave Jumeirah Beach Hotel at 9am and return at 3pm; Dh700 for adults and Dh500 for children under 12. For further information, call the Pavilion Dive Centre, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, 04 406 8828, www.divecentre@jumeirah.com
Lounging around
When it comes to outdoor places to meet up with friends or to kick off your weekend, there can never be too many options. B-Lounge by Beachcomber is the latest venue where you can relax over a glass or two after a hard week in the capital. Opened on Thursday, the lounge is nestled around lush palm trees of the Sheraton Abu Dhabi and features chill-out seating, Arabic cushions, a fire pit and an amphitheatre that hosts live performances and a live DJ every Thursday night. With speculation of an "Open Mic" night starting soon, being a lounge lizard just got more interesting.
B-Lounge by Beachcomber, weekdays from 6pm-11pm, weekends until midnight. Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort, 02 677 3333
Local flair
A Khalifa Fund initiative to empower women in the Western Region is gaining momentum throughout the UAE, and every stylish woman in town will want to be in on the action. The Sougha initiative started with just seven women using ancient Emirati Bedouin weaving techniques to craft items including make-up cases (such as the one pictured), handbags and key chains, and now there are more than 200 women involved. You can pick up your own piece of Emirati heritage (and help preserve it) by investing in one of their gorgeous products.
Make-up case, Dh150, available from the Sougha stall in the Central Market in Abu Dhabi or on Etihad Airways in-flight shopping. For more information email Sougha@khalifafund.gov.ae or call 02 696 0000
The Sultans of Silver
The Empty Quarter gallery in Dubai has brought together regional and international photographers for its Sultans of Silver exhibition. The bright talents are showcasing work inspired by the Middle Eastern region and range from Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad bin Ahmad Al Thani from the Qatari royal family to the Emirati photographers Omar Alzaabi and Nasser Al Hameli as well as London-based Sami Nabeel and Austrian Joseph Hoflehner. The images, mainly of landscapes in the region shot in black-and-white, evoke a calm eeriness characteristic of vintage scenic photography,
The Empty Quarter, Gate Village, Building 2, 04 323 1210
Holistic health
Too nervous to don that bikini? Why not start the year by giving your body and soul some much needed attention? The Dubai day spa and wellness centre The Balance Club has just launched 14-day and 21-day detoxification programmes including yoga and pranayama breathing, an ayurvedic diet prescribed by its ayurvedic doctor, and special treatments such as detox massages and facials to cleanse the body of its toxins. This is a great way to avoid those temptations of all that winter comfort eating.
Basic detox programme starts at Dh3,500. For more information, call 04 384 7010; www.balance-wellness-centre.com
Let us eat cake
Whether you're feeling homesick, in need of comfort food or just fancy a sweet treat, the Ajman Kempinki's new pastry chef, Alexander Haebe, can meet your needs. The German cake master with more than 27 years' experience offers a succulent butter pudding, plum crumble, almond Bienenstich (a German speciality) and devil's food cake, among many others. Just an hour from Dubai, the hotel's cafe beats any afternoon tea we've had for a long while and is well worth the trip, the stunning Gulf view and the extra calories.
Cafe on One, Ajman Kempinski, Ajman Corniche, 06 714 5555
Bow me up
Finding quirky bow ties in the UAE is a challenging mission, and the attempt at a geek chic look for our men too often fails. We came across these hipster bow ties on AMDmode, a website solely dedicated to male fashion created by the Dubai-based designer Ahmed Daabas. Wear with a funky shirt, scruffy jeans and worn boots for a Lower East Side feel. But keep the hair gel to a minimum to avoid taking the trend to a ridiculous level.
From Dh500; e-mail order@amdmode.com
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Scotland 59 (Tries: Hastings (2), G Horne (3), Turner, Seymour, Barclay, Kinghorn, McInally; Cons: Hastings 8)
Russia 0
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Motori Profile
Date started: March 2020
Co-founder/CEO: Ahmed Eissa
Based: UAE, Abu Dhabi
Sector: Insurance Sector
Size: 50 full-time employees (Inside and Outside UAE)
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Safe City Group
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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
Formula One top 10 drivers' standings after Japan
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 306
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 234
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 192
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 148
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 111
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 82
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 65
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 48
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 34
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
BAD%20BOYS%3A%20RIDE%20OR%20DIE
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How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The%20specs
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SHALASH%20THE%20IRAQI
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Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
