So, here it is then, the new Land Rover Defender. It’s no exaggeration to say that this is one of the most anticipated car launches of the past few years, in the Middle East at least, and that was definitely felt when the world’s motoring correspondents got to finally experience the vehicle for themselves this week.
Here in the UAE, there was a particular frisson among those who assembled in Dubai for their inaugural drive, and it’s not too hard to understand why. The car has a long history in the region, dating all the way back to 1954, when the first specially adapted Land Rovers entered service as mobile dispensaries.
The car has been a feature across the UAE's desert and gravel landscapes ever since.
In fact, the brand is so integral to the region that, as part of its development, the 2020 Defender was tested on Dubai’s softest sand by all-terrain experts at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
These are not people who’ll put up with any old clapped-out jalopy.
Yadda yadda yadda, so much for all that, you're thinking. You just want to know what it’s like to drive, don’t you? We don’t blame you.
Well, the experience can be summed up as... impressive. There's a lot more to it than that, though.
You feel like you’re at the wheel of a particularly upmarket freighter in a Defender, safe from the elements and, more to the point, whatever is happening underneath the wheels. Many of those in attendance expressed considerable surprise at the lack of drama present when the vehicles had to tackle the steep and frequently slippery inclines, both going up and down.
The Defender steams along on both tarmac and sand and, probably, mud (though we’ll have to leave that to correspondents in other parts of the world to ascertain as, even with all the cloud seeding, rain in the UAE isn't abundant at this time of year).
But basically, we were never in any doubt that there would be an issue with whatever surface we took the Defender onto. The inside is comfortable and kitted out, and the ride is as serene as those of its fiercest competitors.
Meanwhile, unlike in some of its fiercest competitors, the various settings on the dashboard are easy to navigate here. You don't need a manual the size of something Scotty would have written for the Starship Enterprise if you want to do something as simple as changing gear.
It's worth mentioning that the Defender’s new look has been questioned. Some not a million miles away have said the latest model looks like a Mini that’s spent a lot of time at the gym after being pumped full of steroids and whey protein.
The inside is comfortable and kitted out, and the ride is as serene as those of its fiercest competitors
You can see what they mean, but other commentators like the squat, muscular look. It definitely gives off an air that nothing is too much for it, which is clearly the point. The designers have abandoned the more Lego-like look so beloved of those who created the Mercedes G-Class and gone for a smoother, ultra-modern style.
Up close, these newbies are an appealing breed.
Don’t let that outer look of toughness fool you, though. This is a distinctly modern car. No one is roughing it when climbing aboard, even when you're experiencing the hairiest terrain imaginable.
If you buy a Defender, you’ll have to get used to people looking at you – the convoy in Dubai attracted plenty of attention (a group of camels even showed an interest out in the desert, but that may have been more the sandwich one of the cameramen was eating).
So when it comes to basic, aesthetic appeal, a Defender will look good in the poshest parts of town. Convenient, really, as that’s where most of them will end up.
And that really is a shame, because driving one gives you the distinct impression that you could use it to boost straight up Jebel Jais without bothering with the roads, leaving those who foolishly turned up without one in your tyre tracks.
SPECS
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Quick%20facts
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
Switching%20sides
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Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
Itcan profile
Founders: Mansour Althani and Abdullah Althani
Based: Business Bay, with offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India
Sector: Technology, digital marketing and e-commerce
Size: 70 employees
Revenue: On track to make Dh100 million in revenue this year since its 2015 launch
Funding: Self-funded to date
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
FIRST TEST SCORES
England 458
South Africa 361 & 119 (36.4 overs)
England won by 211 runs and lead series 1-0
Player of the match: Moeen Ali (England)
More on animal trafficking
The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
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Honeymoonish
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