One of my favourite new additions to Abu Dhabi is tucked away at the Body Tree Studio, where I take yoga and Pilates classes.
The woman behind this establishment, Mira Naaman, is one of the few people I’ve come across in the UAE who gets that a healthy smoothie or cup of juice should not be loaded with sugar or unnecessary, unhealthy ingredients. (I’ve actually purchased smoothies only to later find out a hidden ingredient was chocolate cookies!)
This juice bar uses natural and organic products – even making the peanut butter it uses in my favourite smoothie so far. Nut and Bolt (Dh26) combines organic pumpkin and flaxseeds, organic honey and vanilla with banana and non-fat milk. I am also a big fan of the green detoxifying juice, Ginger Apple Cleanse (Dh24), which blends romaine lettuce, spinach, apple and ginger.
Nectar also offers even more healthy add-ons to its smoothies and juices, including chia seeds and, a rare sight in these parts, bright-green wheat grass. Body Tree Studio is located at 11th and 26th streets, in the villa across from the Adnoc station.
* Ann Marie McQueen
Pearls&Caviar
I’ve always known Pearls&Caviar at Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, was a nice place to spend an hour or two, but I felt it was a bit too over-the-top for my dining desires and so until recently, I’d never sat down to eat a meal there. What a shame. Not only is the setting both intimate and luxurious – I love the cordoned-off, semi-private tables in the corner – but the food is amazing. In the past month, I’ve had both brunch and a delicious dinner in the cosy yet elegant dining room. I am still thinking about the tender wagyu beef tenderloin, augmented with a red onion marmalade, bordelaise sauce and a crispy slab of seared foie gras, featured on the new menu. As for brunch, I was blown away by a vibe that managed to be utterly relaxed and laid- back, but quite adult and upscale, all at the same time. For Dh249 or Dh349 (depending on beverages, with a proper offering of seafood including the all-important oysters) it’s also one of the more reasonable deals around. And like all my brunch mates, I am already planning my next encounter with its gussied-up macaroni and cheese. Reservations for dinner and brunch recommended. Adjacent to The Villas by Shangri-La. Dress: smart casual. Hours: 7pm to 11.30pm, 8pm to 11.30pm on Fridays. Call 02 509 8777.
* Ann Marie McQueen
Rivington Grill
A couple of weeks ago, I tried Rivington Grill’s BBQ brunch and it was excellent. First of all, the location is great – set out in the open air on the restaurant terrace, which overlooks the Madinat Jumeirah’s waterways. The atmosphere is lovely and casual – no fussiness or pretentiousness here – the service is friendly and the food good, too.
For Dh150 (including soft drinks), you select one main course and two side dishes to accompany it. Although the butterflied lamb shoulder, marinated baby chicken, lamb and rosemary sausages and the Rivington burger all sounded tempting, we opted for the grilled prawns and the Black Angus sirloin, which was very tasty and generously portioned. With that, we ate baked potatoes, corn on the cob, an apple, celery and walnut salad and a very good Caesar salad.
Beforehand (and also included in the price), we enjoyed a large platter of warm flatbreads and interesting nibbles – cauliflower hummus, broad bean and minted yogurt, smoked aubergine and a cucumber and anchovy dip.
All in all, it made for a very pleasant, relaxing Saturday afternoon. Go now, while the weather is good.
The Rivington Weekend BBQ is held on Fridays and Saturdays from 12.30pm until 4.30pm. For reservations, email RivingtonGrill.ReservationsMJ@jumeirah.com or call 04 4366 6464.
* Emily Shardlow
? bought it, love it, can't live without it
Every so often we stumble across an item that was so worth it, we want to tell everyone about it.
Persimmon
I have to admit, I’m pretty unadventurous when it comes to buying fruit. In my country of origin, the UK, our bleak climate impedes the growth of any plant that is remotely exotic. Fearing change, I usually just stick to what I know from back home: apples, pears or, if I’m feeling particularly daring, a tin of pineapple chunks. But on a recent visit to my local supermarket, the apple section was surrounded by an impenetrable barricade of burly chaps, all of whom were seemingly intent on handling each piece of fruit with their clammy mitts until they found the perfect specimen. So circumstance forced me to explore unfamiliar shelves. I ended up purchasing what I later found out is called a persimmon, a delicious fruit from the subcontinent that resembles a cross between a tomato and a nectarine – and since then I can’t get enough of them. Now I’m even considering plucking up the courage to try something as outlandish as a banana.
* Hugo Berger
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Mobile phone packages comparison
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
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETamer%20Ruggli%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadine%20Labaki%2C%20Fanny%20Ardant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2a)
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How Sputnik V works
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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.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
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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.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
Company%20profile
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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