It's almost spooky season as we look ahead to Halloween, and the UK is going all out for the holiday with destinations hosting festivals, inflatable monsters and more.
Travellers planning ahead to next year might want to consider a trip to Italy, Estonia or Cambodia, all of which rank in Skyscanner's trending 2025 list.
And there are new flights in the air for Etihad and AJet. Here's a round-up of recent travel and tourism news – in case you missed it.
Italy, Philippines and India rank in Skyscanner's trending travel destinations for 2025
Travellers planning ahead for holidays next year might want to take note of Skyscanner's latest report.
The online flight search engine has unveiled its list of trending destinations for 2025, with Reggio Calabria in Italy taking the top spot.
Destinations in the Philippines and India also ranked as popular choices for the coming year.
Analysing flight searches for 2024 compared to the previous year, Skyscanner revealed that the Italian Mediterranean province, renowned for its culture, coastline and cultural diversity, saw a whopping 541 per cent increase in flight searches over the past 12 months.
Tartu in Estonia ranked second in the report, with flight searches up 294 per cent. Located in the east of the country, the second-largest city in Estonia, after capital Tallinn, is home to one of the oldest universities in the Baltic states and was named the European Capital of Culture for 2024.
Cambodia's Siem Reap rounds up the top three, with the temple-filled spot seeing flight searches increase by 241 per cent. Having recovered from a tough Covid-19 lockdown, the destination is famed for its sprawling Angkor Wat and also offers travellers wellness, culture and history.
Panglao Island, located in the province of Bohol, ranked eighth on the list, with the Filipino destination seeing a 77 per cent increase in flight searches.
And India's Thiruvananthapuram, round out the top nine list with the gateway to Kerala seeing an increase of 66 per cent.
Other top trending destinations include Baltimore, Portsmouth in Dominica, Cordoba, Tromso and Stuttgart.
AJet launches new routes to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt
Turkish airline AJet has added flights from Istanbul to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt.
The budget arm of Turkish Airlines is now flying from Sabiha Gokcen Airport to Jeddah, Riyadh, Madinah and Dammam in Saudi Arabia.
It has also added five flights per week to the Egyptian resort cities of Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada, as well as daily flights to Bahrain.
The new routes are set to cater to tourists heading to Egypt's popular Red Sea resorts, to commercial and religious travellers flying to Saudi Arabia and to cater to growing Bahrain-Turkish relations.
Aimed at cost-conscious travellers, the airline launched in March this year and offers no-frills air travel to 95 destinations across 32 countries.
UK attractions light up for Halloween
Things are getting spooky in the UK this month as several destinations across the country light up for Halloween.
In Kew, the first-ever Halloween light trail will transform the Unesco World Heritage Site with twinkling lights, fire performers and laser shows. Running from Friday until November 3, the 1.5km trail has a possessed pumpkin farm, a spider web light tunnel, a laser garden and a monsters' lair. Live fire performances will take place each evening.
In Manchester, visitors can get in the spooky spirit with week-long Halloween in the City celebrations. The event runs from October 25 to 31, and visitors can expect giant balloon monsters on city centre rooftops, pumpkin lanterns and an eight-metre-long inflatable monster called The Leech.
And in Scotland, Glasgow's Botanic Gardens are also turning ghostly for the season. GlasGlow returns to the historic landmark and this year's theme is Trick or Treat. Visitors can explore 10 distinct spaces from the BoneYard to the Haunted House. Alongside more than 9,000 plants, visitors can also try their hand at pumpkin picking and smore making.
Etihad adds more flights to Jaipur
Travellers flying between Abu Dhabi and Jaipur will soon have more options for air travel.
Etihad Airlines is adding six new flights per week between the destinations starting from December 15.
Famously called the “pink city” for its standout architecture, Jaipur is the capital and biggest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan. It offers a kaleidoscope of forts, palaces and bustling bazaars, all steeped in history and regal charm.
The walled city is also a Unesco World Heritage Site. Its architecture aside, Jaipur pulsates with vibrant cultural energy, best experienced by getting lost in its labyrinthine streets.
Etihad's network adjustment will mean that the national airline of the UAE is operating 10 times per week to the South Asian destination that is part of India's well-travelled golden triangle route.
The network expansion comes after the airline first launched flights to Jaipur from Abu Dhabi in June, proving the route's popularity.
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Omar%20Hilal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Farrag%2C%20Bayoumi%20Fouad%2C%20Nelly%20Karim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Ferrari
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Mann%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adam%20Driver%2C%20Penelope%20Cruz%2C%20Shailene%20Woodley%2C%20Patrick%20Dempsey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
