BMW M3 Competition test drive: A true-blue performer that lives up to its lineage

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5

The tragedy that befell the Druze in Syria is a stark reminder of their solo battle for survival

Assad’s backers might have won him the war – but now they need US help

The illusion of a US-Russia grand bargain over Syria and Ukraine

 Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER) 

Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG) 

Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED) 

Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA) 

Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG) 

Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA) 

Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG) 

Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)  

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)

Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)

Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)

Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).

Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)

Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)

Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)

Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)

Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia

Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)

Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)

What is THAAD?

It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.

Production:

It was created in 2008.

Speed:

THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.

Abilities:

THAAD is designed to take out  ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".

Purpose:

To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.

Range:

THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.

Creators:

Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.

UAE and THAAD:

In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.

December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club

December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq

December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm

December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition

December 13: Falcon beauty competition

December 14 and 20: Saluki races

December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm

December 16 - 19: Falconry competition

December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am

December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am

December 22: The best herd of 30 camels

Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40

ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55

T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12

Canada should look past the US election outcome

There would be no Alphonso Davies without open borders

Hard-hit Canada is springing back to life – or to the already cliched 'new normal'

Hussein Ibish: Could it be game over for Donald Trump?

Joyce Karam: Trump's campaign thrown off balance

Trump tests positive: everything we know so far

Sunniva Rose: People reminisce about war years during Ramadan

Massoud A Derhally: Central bank governor a saviour or scapegoat?

Bilal Saab: How the US can bypass Hezbollah and help the people

Saeb Erekat: Palestine can overcome coronavirus, even as Israel undermines its efforts

Jonathan Cook: The US and Israel are scaring the ICC away from helping Palestine

Shaddad Attili: Palestine is not short on water - just the right to use it

US VP candidate Kamala Harris and the complexity of racial identity

Beirut blasts: What do we do with the world's ammonium nitrate?

How the pandemic is testing the solidarity of the European Union

When it comes to peace, is the EU really a great power?

Damien McElroy: Anti-science attitudes in America are proving lethal

Editorial: What makes the UAE such a good place to test vaccines?

Editorial: The fight against Covid-19 should be guided by science

Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650

Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder

Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm

Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km

The National Editorial: Muslims prepare for Hajj and Eid in the age of Covid-19

Shelina Janmohamed: Minimalist Hajj will be once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage

James Haines-Young: Everything you need to know Hajj 2020

National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate

Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead

Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble

Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks

Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence

Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground

Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile

Rashmee Roshan Lall: Sound of silence in South Asia

Richard Olson: Why Afghanistan will be very wary

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

• 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

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

The Baghdad Clock

Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.

- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

'We are betting on you - you are the future', Gargash tells young Emiratis

'Pursue what you love - not just a high salary', universities minister tells young Emiratis

Young Emiratis are real target of fake news, Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis hears

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

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

The changing face of Mussaffah

Hatta, where present and past collide

How old Dubai moved with the times and kept its heart

Where, when and at what time Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday at 5pm (UAE time)

Arsenal line up (3-4-2-1) Petr Cech; Rob Holding, Per Mertesacker, Nacho Monreal; Hector Bellerin, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Alex Iwobi, Danny Welbeck; Alexandre Lacazette

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

Chelsea line up (3-4-2-1) Thibaut Courtois; Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill; Victor Moses, Cesc Fabregas, N'Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso; Willian, Pedro; Michy Batshuayi

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte

Referee Bobby Madley

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Rating: 4/5

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris

Company profile

Name: GiftBag.ae

Based: Dubai

Founded: 2011

Number of employees: 4

Sector: E-commerce

Funding: Self-funded to date

The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.

The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.

There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).

All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.

BEST FILM

• 1917 - Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jayne-Ann Tenggren
• THE IRISHMAN - Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
• JOKER - Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
• PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Sin-ae

DIRECTOR

• 1917 - Sam Mendes
• THE IRISHMAN - Martin Scorsese
• JOKER - Todd Phillips
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
• PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

• 1917 - Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
• BAIT - Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite
• FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
• ROCKETMAN - Dexter Fletcher, Adam Bohling, David Furnish, David Reid, Matthew Vaughn, Lee Hall
• SORRY WE MISSED YOU  - Ken Loach, Rebecca O’Brien, Paul Laverty
• THE TWO POPES - Fernando Meirelles, Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin, Tracey Seaward, Anthony McCarten

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

• THE FAREWELL - Lulu Wang, Daniele Melia
• FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
• PAIN AND GLORY - Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
• PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
• PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE - Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur

LEADING ACTRESS

• JESSIE BUCKLEY - Wild Rose
• SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Marriage Story
• SAOIRSE RONAN - Little Women
• CHARLIZE THERON - Bombshell
• RENÉE ZELLWEGER - Judy

LEADING ACTOR

• LEONARDO DICAPRIO - Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
• ADAM DRIVER - Marriage Story
• TARON EGERTON - Rocketman
• JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Joker
• JONATHAN PRYCE - The Two Popes

SUPPORTING ACTOR

• TOM HANKS - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
• ANTHONY HOPKINS - The Two Popes
• AL PACINO - The Irishman
• JOE PESCI - The Irishman
• BRAD PITT - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• LAURA DERN - Marriage Story
• SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Jojo Rabbit
• FLORENCE PUGH - Little Women
• MARGOT ROBBIE - Bombshell
• MARGOT ROBBIE - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• THE IRISHMAN - Steven Zaillian
• JOJO RABBIT - Taika Waititi
• JOKER - Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
• LITTLE WOMEN - Greta Gerwig
• THE TWO POPES - Anthony McCarten

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• BOOKSMART - Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
• KNIVES OUT - Rian Johnson
• MARRIAGE STORY - Noah Baumbach
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
• PARASITE - Han Jin Won, Bong Joon ho

DOCUMENTARY

• AMERICAN FACTORY - Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
• APOLLO 11 - Todd Douglas Miller
• DIEGO MARADONA - Asif Kapadia
• FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
• THE GREAT HACK - Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaime

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

• BAIT - Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)
• FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab (Director/Producer), Edward Watts (Director)
• MAIDEN - Alex Holmes (Director)
• ONLY YOU - Harry Wootliff (Writer/Director)
• RETABLO - Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio (Writer/Director)

ANIMATED FILM

• FROZEN 2 - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho
• KLAUS - Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh
• A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON - Will Becher, Richard Phelan, Paul Kewley
• TOY STORY 4 - Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen

CASTING

• JOKER - Shayna Markowitz
• MARRIAGE STORY - Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Victoria Thomas
• THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD - Sarah Crowe
• THE TWO POPES - Nina Gold

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)

• AWKWAFINA
• JACK LOWDEN
• KAITLYN DEVER
• KELVIN HARRISON JR.
• MICHEAL WARD

CINEMATOGRAPHY

• 1917 - Roger Deakins
• THE IRISHMAN - Rodrigo Prieto
• JOKER - Lawrence Sher
• LE MANS ’66 - Phedon Papamichael
• THE LIGHTHOUSE - Jarin Blaschke

EDITING

• THE IRISHMAN - Thelma Schoonmaker
• JOJO RABBIT - Tom Eagles
• JOKER - Jeff Groth
• LE MANS ’66 - Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Fred Raskin

COSTUME DESIGN

• THE IRISHMAN - Christopher Peterson, Sandy Powell
• JOJO RABBIT - Mayes C. Rubeo
• JUDY - Jany Temime
• LITTLE WOMEN - Jacqueline Durran
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Arianne Phillips

PRODUCTION DESIGN

• 1917 - Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales
• THE IRISHMAN - Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
• JOJO RABBIT - Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
• JOKER - Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh

SOUND

• 1917 - Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson
• JOKER - Tod Maitland, Alan Robert Murray, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic
• LE MANS ’66 - David Giammarco, Paul Massey, Steven A. Morrow, Donald Sylvester
• ROCKETMAN - Matthew Collinge, John Hayes, Mike Prestwood Smith, Danny Sheehan
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - David Acord, Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood

ORIGINAL SCORE

• 1917 - Thomas Newman
• JOJO RABBIT - Michael Giacchino
• JOKER - Hildur Guđnadóttir
• LITTLE WOMEN - Alexandre Desplat
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - John Williams

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

• 1917 - Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron, Dominic Tuohy
• AVENGERS: ENDGAME - Dan Deleeuw, Dan Sudick
• THE IRISHMAN - Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli, Pablo Helman
• THE LION KING - Andrew R. Jones, Robert Legato, Elliot Newman, Adam Valdez
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh, Neal Scanlan, Dominic Tuohy

MAKE UP & HAIR

• 1917 - Naomi Donne
• BOMBSHELL - Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan
• JOKER - Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
• JUDY - Jeremy Woodhead
• ROCKETMAN - Lizzie Yianni Georgiou

BRITISH SHORT FILM

• AZAAR - Myriam Raja, Nathanael Baring
• GOLDFISH - Hector Dockrill, Harri Kamalanathan, Benedict Turnbull, Laura Dockrill
• KAMALI - Sasha Rainbow, Rosalind Croad
• LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL) - Carol Dysinger, Elena Andreicheva
• THE TRAP - Lena Headey, Anthony Fitzgerald

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

• GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC - Maryam Mohajer
• IN HER BOOTS - Kathrin Steinbacher
• THE MAGIC BOAT  - Naaman Azh

Words come easy for aspiring writer Afra Al Muhairb. The business side of books, on the other hand, is entirely foreign to the 16-year-old Emirati. So, she followed her father’s advice and enroled in the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s summer entrepreneurship course at Abu Dhabi University hoping to pick up a few new skills.

“Most of us have this dream of opening a business,” said Afra, referring to her peers are “young girls thinking of big ideas.”

In the three-week class, pupils are challenged to come up with a business and develop an operational and marketing plan to support their idea. But, the learning goes far beyond sales and branding, said teacher Sonia Elhaj.

“It’s not only about starting up a business, it’s all the meta skills that goes with it -- building self confidence, communication,” said Ms Elhaj. “It’s a way to coach them and to harness ideas and to allow them to be creative. They are really hungry to do this and be heard. They are so happy to be actually doing something, to be engaged in creating something new, not only sitting and listening and getting new information and new knowledge. Now they are applying that knowledge.”

Afra’s team decided to focus their business idea on a restaurant modelled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each level would have a different international cuisine and all the meat would be halal. The pupils thought of this after discussing a common problem they face when travelling abroad.

“Sometimes we find the struggle of finding halal food, so we just eat fish and cheese, so it’s hard for us to spend 20 days with fish and cheese,” said Afra. “So we made this tower so every person who comes – from Africa, from America – they will find the right food to eat.”

rpennington@thenational.ae

Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier

Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November

UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi

Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi

Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni

Rating: 2.5/5