For fans who have yet to find a side to support, Paul Radley offers a different look at which players and teams will provide the most drama on and off the pitch, who is most likely to take an early shower, and who commentators want to have the ball at their feet the least.
GROUP A
Commentator's curse: Benoit Assou-Ekotto (Cameroon)
The free-spirited left-back has enjoyed a relatively successful career in English football. David Pleat, the former manager of Assou-Ekotto’s regular employers, Tottenham Hotspur, never has got his name right, though.
Reddest mist: Rafael Marquez (Mexico)
It is 12 years since Marquez saw red for a mid-air headbutt on Cobi Jones while captaining Mexico against the United States. Either he is older and wiser, or older and slower. We will see.
Most likely to want out: Neymar (Brazil)
It has happened before. A young prodigy with the weight of expectations of football’s favourite nation on his shoulders lights up the tournament, then suddenly finds it too difficult to bear ahead of the final. If he does go all “Ronaldo 1998”, the sponsors will not let Neymar leave, either.
Hollywood plot line: Ivica Olic (Croatia)
Played by Paul Bettany, the journeyman hero finally gets the glory after years of injury and diligent underachievement – and gets the girl (Kirsten Dunst), too.
GROUP B
Commentator's curse: Mile Jedinak (Australia)
Mile as in relay. Not Mile as in style. Do not know what is wrong with plain old Michael, though, which is the Australian captain’s given name.
Reddest mist: Nigel de Jong (Netherlands)
Somehow avoided red in 2010. Will have to try harder this time, because a flying kung-fu kick and boot to Xabi Alonso’s chest was nowhere near nasty enough. May have packed nunchucks for the trip to Brazil.
Most likely to want out: Arturo Vidal (Chile)
Nicknamed “The Warrior” in Italy because of his tenacity in the Juventus midfield, Vidal is nothing if not feisty. May put teammates’ noses out of joint if he keeps going on about how good he is and the fact he could be on his way to Real Madrid.
Hollywood plot line: Diego Costa (Spain)
Played by Matt Damon, the all-action hero has no recollection of his previous life. The soldier of fortune is handed new identity papers and is tasked with surviving under enemy fire, even though it must feel like everyone is against him.
GROUP C
Commentator's curse: Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Greece)
It is a surprise Angela Merkel did not try to impose a consonant tax on Greek people as part of austerity measures. Lazaros Christodoulopoulos and Sokratis Papastathopoulos would have been out of pocket.
Reddest mist: Toshihiro Aoyama (Japan)
No Japanese player has been sent off at a World Cup before. The only way they are likely to break that duck this time is if Aoyama, who is adept at orchestrating fancy goal celebrations, incurs the wrath of the officials for showboating.
Most likely to want out: Radamel Falcao (Colombia)
The world of football has already been robbed of a proper view of arguably its finest striker since he opted to play club football in front of Monaco’s tiny attendances. Now injury has ruled him out of its biggest international gathering, too.
Hollywood plot line: Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast)
Played by Tom Hanks, the hero gets his wish when he wants to be big and rich. Never really grows up, though, and chucks a hissy fit when he does not get his birthday cake.
GROUP D
Commentator's curse: Roy Miller (Costa Rica)
Central American players should have monikers that give commentators free rein for flamboyant enunciations. Costa Rica have the likes of Yeltsin Tejeda, Hansell Arauz and Alvaro Saborio. Then there is Roy Miller. Boring.
Reddest mist: Daniele de Rossi (Italy)
Making a tackle on Andrea Pirlo is tough enough without his minder, De Rossi, getting in the way. Has a tattoo on his calf of a stick man making a foul, inside a hazard warning sign. Loves a red.
Most likely to want out: Edinson Cavani (Uruguay)
Went from the main man at Napoli to second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Paris Saint-Germain. He will have to put up with the same on national duty if Luis Suarez is fit.
Hollywood plot line: Roy Hodgson (England)
Played by Ricky Tomlinson, the home-grown hero leads an unlikely troupe of players through pitfalls and pratfalls before stumbling to the semi-finals, where they lose to Brazil. Reciting Rudyard Kipling's If rather than anecdotes about space monkeys, he is welcomed home a hero and declares he will not quit.
GROUP E
Commentator's curse: Oscar Boniek Garcia (Honduras)
Not because it is an especially tricky one to pronounce, but because it will be impossible for any commentator to mention him without quoting the fact he is named after the Polish great, Zbigniew Boniek. That could wear thin after a while.
Reddest mist: Frikson Erazo (Ecuador)
For no reason more scientific than the fact he is the hardest looking player in the 2014 Panini sticker album.
Most likely to want out: France
This is a major competition. They are France. They are bound to come to blows at some point, rage at the injustice of it all, then storm off in a huff.
Hollywood plot line: Admir Mehmedi (Switzerland)
Played by Owen Wilson, the hero struggles to go anywhere without pining after his beloved dog. Mehmedi used to walk Tim, his pet pug, four times a day when he was a shy foreign player with Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine.
GROUP F:
Reddest mist: Emir Spahic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
The Bosnia captain was fined recently by the Bundesliga, where he plays for Bayer Leverkusen, for a hand gesture against Daniel Davari, the Braunschweig goalkeeper. As they will be reunited when Bosnia play Iran in the group, there may be afters.
Most likely to want out: Peter Odemwingie (Nigeria)
Has a mixed history with his manager, Stephen Keshi. If Spain suddenly show an interest in him midway through the tournament, he will be in La Roja’s training ground car park quicker than you can say “Harry Redknapp”.
Most likely to want in: Carlos Tevez (Argentina)
Was not even in Alejandro Sabella’s extended squad, let alone the final cut. That will be all well and good if Argentina’s admittedly lavish front line do fire. If they do not, though, the fans will be as restless as Tevez.
Hollywood plot line: Carlos Queiroz (Iran)
Played by Ben Affleck, the hero goes into Brazil under the ruse of being a football manager. Escapes with a full team in tact and the World Cup trophy stashed in the carry-on luggage.
GROUP G:
Commentator's curse: Harrison Afful (Ghana)
Imagine if he makes a mistake during a match. It will be nigh-on impossible for the match announcer to fight the urge to say: “That was awful from Afful.”
Reddest mist: Miroslav Klose (Germany)
For a player of such vast experience, Klose can be surprisingly excitable when the heat is on. He was sent off for two bookable offences after just 37 minutes of the group match against Serbia in South Africa in 2010.
Most likely to want out: Landon Donovan (United States)
Mocked by the son of the manager, Jurgen Klinsmann, on Twitter on the day his absence from the squad was announced, America’s most-capped player must be sore not to be there.
Hollywood plot line: Pepe (Portugal)
Played by Jeremy Renner, the all-action hero has no recollection of his previous life. The soldier of fortune is handed new identity papers and is tasked with surviving under enemy fire, even though it must feel like everyone is against him.
GROUP H:
Commentator's curse: South Korea
Eleven of their squad have either Young (five), Yong (two), Jung, Jeong, Yeung or Jong as part of their name. Differentiating while commentating at match pace could prove to be a tough gig.
Reddest mist: Marouane Fellaini (Belgium)
The woolly haired midfielder was all arms and legs even when he was good. Since then, he has spent a season being useless at Manchester United. He might have been sharpening his elbows on the bench at Old Trafford.
Most likely to want out: Andrei Arshavin (Russia)
The former Arsenal forward has enjoyed an upturn in his club form of late with Zenit St Petersburg. However, he is still paying for sins of the past in the international game and has never found favour with Fabio Capello, the manager.
Hollywood plot line: Vahid Halilhodzic (Algeria)
Played by Russell Crowe, the hero is injured in war, sees his home looted and burnt down, then wins the honour of the republic. Algeria’s manager endured war in the former Yugoslavia, while, in football, he was knighted by the French Republic for his spell with Paris Saint-Germain in 2004.
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 56
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
India squad for fourth and fifth Tests
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Shaw, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur, Vihari
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
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.
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press
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Company%20profile
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Superior, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Roy Orbison, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.15pm
Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
Winner: Taamol, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.50pm
Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
Winner: Welford, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Sandeep Jadhav
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
RESULTS
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
