Snow-capped mountain ranges across Europe are beginning to welcome visitors for a season of skiing and winter sports.
As world-famous destinations such as France's Val d'Isere, the Dolomites in Italy and Zermatt in the Swiss Alps open up, luxury five-star hotels with excellent apres-ski offerings join them in greeting guests.
Here are the major reopenings planned over the next few weeks.
Aman Le Melezin
This Alpine retreat by Aman Resorts in France's Les Trois Vallees, just minutes from Courchevel 1850, is reopening on December 8. The resort offers a range of adventures in the region, from skiing to hot-air ballooning and helicopter rides over the scenic Three Valleys. New this season is a ride at dusk on a snowmobile-drawn sledge and a horse-drawn carriage excursion to Les Pres de la Croix, where you can dine on cheese fondue or hotpot by a log fire.
Until April 7, the hotel is also running its five-night Ski or Spa Escape experience, which includes daily breakfast, lunch or dinner, and either a ski-lift pass for Les Trois Vallees or spa benefits such as a daily 30-minute yoga session.
Two floors of this property are dedicated to wellness and this season it will welcome Traditional Chinese Medicine specialist Dr John Sanchez who will offer a range of treatments, such as acupuncture and reflexology, and mindful movement classes, from yin yoga to tai chi.
Meanwhile, at the hotel's Nama restaurant, there's a new omakase experience that offers a multi-course menu of fresh sushi and sashimi based on the Japanese tradition of entrusting your order to the chef.
More information is available at aman.com
Six Senses Crans-Montana
On December 1, the Six Senses Crans-Montana in the Swiss Alps will reopen its doors and stay open as it transitions to a year-round resort. It offers exclusive ski-in, ski-out access from the south-facing pistes of the 4-Vallees mountain range, which encompasses the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. This includes direct access to more than 140km of ski runs and slopes that range from beginners to expert.
During the off-season, some refurbishments have been made to the property, including the addition of 33 terrace rooms and suites at the front of the building, offering spectacular views.
The hotel, which also has an on-site ski shop, is gearing up to celebrate the festive season, with a Christmas dinner at its Wild Cabin Terrace, located on the final turn of the Chetzeron piste by the main Crans gondola. Japanese restaurant Byakko will also host an omakase experience, while both venues are offering a New Year's Eve dinner.
Experiences being introduced include a guided sunset snowshoe hike to explore a traditional alpine hut used for farming and dairy production, followed by fondue and warm tea before heading back. For the children, a Return to Roots experience allows them to take part in a guided walk at dusk, complete with hot chocolate and gingerbread treats. Ice skating, ice hockey and curling, plus mountain biking and paragliding are also available to book.
The pet-friendly property also offers a Paw Paw Menu for dogs, plus grooming packages in the spa.
More information is available at sixsenses.com
Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski
Also opening on December 1 is the Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski in St Moritz, Switzerland. With 224 rooms and suites, the hotel, which sits in a building that dates back to 1864, offers beautiful views of the Swiss Alps while focusing on wellness through the expansive Alpine Spa, which includes a sauna, indoor and outdoor pools, and a fully equipped gym.
Earlier this year, its fine-dining restaurant Ca d'Oro was awarded a Michelin star. It serves creative Mediterranean cuisine in a stucco-decorated dining room, which reopens on December 12, under the watchful eye of head chef Leopold Ott.
The hotel has undergone a number of refurbishments this year, including the double rooms and five junior suites, as well as the lobby, the Kempinski Lobby Bar and award-winning Main Restaurant Les Saisons.
The new design of the rooms, which are located in a dedicated wing, incorporates alpine style with natural materials, warm brown hues and white and dark Cavelano marble from South Tirol.
More information is available at kempinski.com
Le Refuge de Solaise
Bookings for the highest hotel in the French Alps are now open, as Le Refuge de Solaise is scheduled to greet guests come December 8. The five-star boutique property sits at 2,551 metres in the Solaise ski area of Val d'Isere, offering 360-degree views of the incredible moutainscapes beyond.
Le Refuge has only 16 rooms, plus four private apartments, making it an exclusive experience. On site are restaurants, a spa and 25-metre swimming pool.
Gigi Val d'Isere is noted for its Italian cuisine, while al fresco spot Little Refuge has international selections and Bar du Refuge serves snacks by the fire after 4pm, following a day on the slopes.
Activities available to book include dog sledding, snowshoe excursions, ice floating, snowmobile rides, paragliding and moonbiking.
More information is available at en.lerefuge-valdisere.com
Cervo Mountain Resort
This ski-in, ski-out hotel consists of chalets, suites and rooms that create three different categories of property spread out over one mountain resort.
Nomad, Alpinist and Huntsman offer various experiences throughout the year, with the full property, known as Cervo Mountain Resort, back from November 30 to April 16.
It sits on the edge of the piste in Zermatt, Switzerland with views of the nearby Matterhorn. The five-star accommodation is surrounded by trees, offering quick access to the piste, with a spa offering holistic treatments and activities such as yoga and meditation.
There are a range of packages to book, plus several restaurants scattered about, including predominantly vegetarian Bazaar, which is inspired by the markets of the East; autumnal venue Little Ferdinand, where guests can try traditional Swiss dishes; and Madre Nostra, which celebrates Italy's cuisine with local produce and a Roman chef.
More information is available at cervo.swiss
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Brief scoreline:
Burnley 3
Barnes 63', 70', Berg Gudmundsson 75'
Southampton 3
Man of the match
Ashley Barnes (Burnley)
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
Results
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
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The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Company Profile
Company name: Fine Diner
Started: March, 2020
Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and food delivery
Initial investment: Dh75,000
Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp
Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000
Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Scorebox
Sharjah Wanderers 20-25 Dubai Tigers (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries Gormley, Penalty
Cons Flaherty
Pens Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons Caldwell 2
Pens Caldwell, Cross
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
The specs: 2019 Jeep Wrangler
Price, base: Dh132,000
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 285hp @ 6,400rpm
Torque: 347Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.6L to 10.3L / 100km
