This truck named "Dangerous" from the Tariq Performance Garage in Dubai burst into flames on the starting line during the Awafi UAE Sand Drag Champions 2010 races in Ras al Khaimah, December 24, 2010. The driver Rashid Mohammad Saeed was not injured. Officials said the fire started when an electrical short ignited the fuel.
This truck named "Dangerous" from the Tariq Performance Garage in Dubai burst into flames on the starting line during the Awafi UAE Sand Drag Champions 2010 races in Ras al Khaimah, December 24, 2010. The driver Rashid Mohammad Saeed was not injured. Officials said the fire started when an electrical short ignited the fuel.
This truck named "Dangerous" from the Tariq Performance Garage in Dubai burst into flames on the starting line during the Awafi UAE Sand Drag Champions 2010 races in Ras al Khaimah, December 24, 2010. The driver Rashid Mohammad Saeed was not injured. Officials said the fire started when an electrical short ignited the fuel.
This truck named "Dangerous" from the Tariq Performance Garage in Dubai burst into flames on the starting line during the Awafi UAE Sand Drag Champions 2010 races in Ras al Khaimah, December 24, 2010.

The new beasts of the desert


  • English
  • Arabic

RAS AL KHAIMAH // The first 4x4 exploded into flames before the competition began, sending crowds running to safety.

Fire extinguishers were not enough to stop the raging flames of car 25, called Dangerous. A fire truck rolled forward. Plumes of dark grey smoke coiled from its doors, which swung open to reveal a charred interior. Its grill was completed melted.

"Did you see that?" asked Abdulla al Hebsy, an onlooker. "Dh300,000. Whoosh. Gone."

In the sport of sand drag racing, courage is required. The driver had just fled to safety when the first dark smoke rose from the engine, caused by an electrical shortage.

In Ras al Khaimah the Awafi Desert Festival is synonymous with winter. For many, the Awafi race is its highlight.

This year's festival honours sand drag racing, a sport that has risen in popularity over the past five years that combines urban drag racing with a love for the desert sand. More than 35 competitors entered the Awafi UAE National Sand Drag Championship 2010 to compete in the eight and six-cylinder categories for a first prize of Dh35,000.

A green 4x4 with an engine too big for its bonnet started the eight-cylinder competition. With a shower of smoke, sand and a deafening roar, it cleared the 100 metre sand track in 3.4 seconds.

Khalid Hariya, the UAE's favourite football commentator and wit, wound up the crowd with his an impromptu song about Awafi.

At the base of other dunes, 4x4 drivers parked side by side to see who could rev their engine the loudest. Quad bikers huddled together to smoke midwakh, protected from the clouds of powdery sand by ski masks, keffiyahs and googles. Saloon cars were half buried in the dunes, not quiet able to keep up.

Obaid Ibrahim, an Emirati in his mid 20s, said he found tranquillity in the petrol fuelled chaos.

"I feel so relaxed," he roared over the blast of engines, tapping his barrel chest. "I am born in Awafi."

"We release his beast," said Khalid bin Shagra, an engine tuner from Ajman's RSG garage who enjoys celebrity status among off-roaders. The garage, sponsored by Bin Suroor, dominated last year's dune race.

Sand drag racing requires a different strategy to its urban counterpart. "It's totally different because the cars are 4x4s. First of all, you have to modify the body to be lightweight. And for the engine the body has to be a lot stronger to control all this power," said Mr bin Shagra.

"This year we made lots of change to our cars, like the shocks and suspension, so that the car sticks to the ground. Since we started maybe eight years ago, every race we find something that has to be done. Modifications never stop."

Another RSG advantage is Khalid al Balooshi, 30, a professional drag racer who does a 10-race pro-modified circuit in the US, from Houston to Dallas.

"For me, this is a local race, it's for fun," said Mr al Balooshi. "I hope to win but I need some luck."

Though hundreds crowded the bowl to watch the drag race and do a little dune bashing of their own, it proved less popular with crowds than the annual race up the sand dune.

"We wanted a change. All the racers, they prefer the drag race because on the hill they blow their engine," aid Hamad al Shamsi, the deputy general director of the RAK department of economic planning, who organised the festival. "But they love the hill. Maybe, inshallah we will do it at the end of the festival."

The Awafi Desert festival ends on January 8.

The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet

Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder

Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km

The%20specs
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)

Date started: August 2021

Founder: Nour Sabri

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace

Size: Two employees

Funding stage: Seed investment

Initial investment: $200,000

Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East) 

The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
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.

La Mer lowdown

La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
 

While you're here
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

THE CLOWN OF GAZA

Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

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World Cricket League Division 2

In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.

UAE fixtures

Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
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SCHEDULE

Saturday, April 20: 11am to 7pm - Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival and Para jiu-jitsu.

Sunday, April 21: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (female) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Monday, April 22: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (male) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Tuesday, April 23: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Wednesday, April 24: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Thursday, April 25: 11am-5pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Friday, April 26: 3pm to 6pm Finals of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Saturday, April 27: 4pm and 8pm awards ceremony.

Museum of the Future in numbers
  •  78 metres is the height of the museum
  •  30,000 square metres is its total area
  •  17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
  •  14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
  •  1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior 
  •  7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
  •  2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
  •  100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
  •  Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Francesco Totti's bio

Born September 27, 1976

Position Attacking midifelder

Clubs played for (1) - Roma

Total seasons 24

First season 1992/93

Last season 2016/17

Appearances 786

Goals 307

Titles (5) - Serie A 1; Italian Cup 2; Italian Supercup 2

Zodi%20%26%20Tehu%3A%20Princes%20Of%20The%20Desert
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEric%20Barbier%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYoussef%20Hajdi%2C%20Nadia%20Benzakour%2C%20Yasser%20Drief%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What are the main cyber security threats?

Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.

ARABIAN GULF LEAGUE FIXTURES

Thursday, September 21
Al Dahfra v Sharjah (kick-off 5.35pm)
Al Wasl v Emirates (8.30pm)

Friday, September 22
Dibba v Al Jazira (5.25pm)
Al Nasr v Al Wahda (8.30pm)

Saturday, September 23
Hatta v Al Ain (5.25pm)
Ajman v Shabab Al Ahli (8.30pm)

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

EA Sports FC 25
BMW%20M4%20Competition
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