My English stepson is 17 years old and very tall. But in a crowded room his height is not the first factor that makes him instantly recognisable. It is his red nose.
When he comes to stay with us, I tell him to use sun cream to protect against the powerful UAE sun. "I don't burn," he tells me.
Teenagers are notoriously stupid. But I, too, used to be oblivious to the importance of sun cream. And I had no idea that even in the depths of winter when it is pouring with rain you should wear sun cream to protect your skin.
Elle Macpherson famously said that every morning she puts on her sun cream and then brushes her teeth. This is what you need to do. Even if you are looking out at a sky that is greyer than charcoal, which is unlikely around here. A friend of mine, Tina, is an holistic dermatologist and doesn't even open her curtains before putting on sun cream. And she lives in London where your chances of even seeing the sun are slim. "Don't even go out to hang the washing up without protecting your skin," she told me once. "If you go for a walk in the sun, wear a large hat, and don't ever lie in the sun - you can get tanned in the shade as well."
You need to think of the sun as your enemy. A ferocious monster to be fought on all levels. Your weapons include, first and foremost, sun cream. For my face I use Clinique City Block Sun Protection Factor 25. Then I use a moisturising cream by Dermalogica with an SPF of 15. On top of that I use Laura Mercier Mineral Powder, which also carries an SPF of 15. All this I use on my face, neck and décolletage. Plaster on as many layers of protective creams and make-up as you can.
In my handbag I carry Bioderma sun cream for the face, décolleté and hands. It carries an SPF of 50. I use it on the backs of my hands throughout the day. I use a cheaper brand such as Nivea or something similar for other parts of my body that are exposed to the sun.
Some people use umbrellas here to protect from the sun. I'm thinking of investing in an elegant parasol, maybe in fuchsia pink with tassels. As well as sunglasses. On no account must you squint - that way lies wrinkle hell.
Another weapon is clothes. I have started wearing a silk scarf to protect my décolletage. I see a lot of women here with sun damage to that area, so protect it as you do your face. It's one of those areas that really gives your age away - even more than a bright red nose.
3 of the best
Bask in the glow of these relaxing bath candles.
DIPTYQUE BAIES, DH310 Our all-time favourite candle smells like a fresh spring day.
THE ONE AROMATHERAPY INTERVENTIONS, DH99 Lighten up while you bathe with this witty perfumed soy candle.
THE BODY SHOP BLACK VELVET APRICOT, DH69 This slightly sweet-smelling candle will cast a lovely pale glow and emit a light fragrance in your bathroom.
M Loves
MAC PRO PALETTE We always wished that we could hand-pick the eyeshadows that went into our palette. MAC's endless selection of high-pigment colours always has us in a frenzy at the counter, but where is anyone meant to store that many individual pots? Enter the pro palette - an empty box ready for your hand-picked shades straight off the eyeshadow stand.
Dh68 (palette) and Dh55 (per shadow), MAC stores nationwide
Teams
India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
South Africa (squad): Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
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FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
The biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
