Eid Al Adha is just around the corner, but this week is also packed with plenty of things to do around the emirates, from afternoon tea to International Yoga Day.
Here, The National rounds up seven things to do from June 19 to 25.
Monday
Start the week by catching a charity performance by the Light of Hope Orchestra, a group specifically formed for this performance by the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra.
The show will be held at The Theatre, Mall of the Emirates, and all proceeds will go to Unicef to provide assistance to children affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
The concert includes a blend of Arabian music arrangements by conductor Riad Kudsi, as well as other classical compositions, plus performances by Emirati poet Talal Al Junaibi and acclaimed vocalist Somar Al Najjar. The music will be accompanied by a range of artworks, projected on to a screen.
Monday; 7.30pm; from Dh100; The Theatre, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai; dubai.platinumlist.net
Tuesday
Visit the newly opened family-friendly entertainment venue Glitch at Al Ghurair Centre.
The indoor playground includes more than 30 games and activities, including a ninja warrior-themed course, roller gliding, bowling, wall climbing and ziplining.
Each activity is priced separately, but guests can sign up for packages from Dh45.
Daily; 10am-10pm from Sunday to Thursday, 10am-midnight on Friday and Saturday; from Dh45; Al Rigga Road, Deira, Dubai; glitchuae.com
Wednesday
June 21 marks International Yoga Day, and you can practise the discipline with a number of free and discounted classes, as well as sessions with well-known trainers.
In Abu Dhabi, head to Fairmont Bab Al Bahr at 6.30pm for an outdoor yoga masterclass (Dh150) by Doha Jarid, who will take participants on a two-hour well-being journey to calm the nervous system, promote mindful breathing and relieve anxiety. After the class, head to Marco's Italian for a complimentary drink and 50 per cent discount on all dishes; fairmont.com
In Dubai, Danube Sports World is offering an hour-long class at 7pm by Anis Sajan, vice chairman at Danube Group and Yogi Ram. Not only is the session free for all, but attendees will also receive a yoga mat and jersey.
Thursday
Catch a stand-up comedy night at Hyde Hotel in Business Bay.
The Selfdrive Laughter Factory event features three celebrated comedians: Australian Khaled Khalafalla, who is making his debut in the region; Liz Miele, who has written several comedy books; and British star Scott Bennett.
Thursday; 8.30pm; from Dh160; Business Bay, Dubai; platinumlist.net
Friday
On Friday, gamers can head to Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City for the first day of Game Expo.
The three-day festival will feature e-sports tournaments, as well as gaming zones that feature both online and offline games. A retro zone will have old-school arcade machines, and there is also a space for those who love tabletop board games.
Until Sunday; 3pm-11pm; Dh15 for a single-day ticket; dubaiesportsfestival.com
Saturday
Head to Episodes at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental in Abu Dhabi for an afternoon tea hosted in collaboration with renowned Emirati chef Sahar Al Awadhi.
On the menu are dishes such as roasted courgette and daqous jam, prawn machboos avocado roll, and smoked aubergine vol au vent. There's also fig chocolate souffle, lemon gateaux and Emirati honey mille-feuille.
The cafe's cake shop will sell limited-edition pastries by the chef, as well as a chocolate box called the Jalabiya Tin, featuring six creations.
Until July 2; 2pm-6pm; from Dh285; West Corniche Road; 02 690 7999
Sunday
Catch a local stage play at The Junction in Dubai's Alserkal.
The show, titled Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, tells the story of four middle-aged siblings who are reunited. One of them reveals a plan to sell the family house that leads to poignant conversations and reflections on moments of joy and regret.
The show blends drama and comedy to explore the dynamics of sibling relationships.
Friday-Sunday; doors open 7pm; from Dh100; Al Quoz; dubai.platinumlist.net
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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.
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
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
Mountain%20Boy
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PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
Ad Astra
Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones
Five out of five stars
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%207%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Adam%20Yates%20(GBR)%20UAE%20Team%20Emirates%20%E2%80%93%203hrs%2029min%2042ses%3Cbr%3E2.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%20%E2%80%93%2010sec%3Cbr%3E3.%20Geoffrey%20Bouchard%20(FRA)%20AG2R%20Citroen%20Team%20%E2%80%93%2042sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeneral%20Classification%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lucas%20Plapp%20(AUS)%20Ineos%20Grenaders%20%E2%80%93%2059se%3Cbr%3E3.%20Adam%20Yates%20(GBR)%20UAE%20Team%20Emirates%20%E2%80%9360sec%3Cbr%3ERed%20Jersey%20(General%20Classification)%3A%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3EGreen%20Jersey%20(Points%20Classification)%3A%20Tim%20Merlier%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3EWhite%20Jersey%20(Young%20Rider%20Classification)%3A%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3EBlack%20Jersey%20(Intermediate%20Sprint%20Classification)%3A%20Edward%20Planckaert%20(FRA)%20Alpecin-Deceuninck%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
