Bottles of Vimto, boxes of dates, along with fresh fruit and vegetables were among the items most popular with shoppers at a supermarket in Dubai on Friday afternoon.
Scores of people were busy loading up their trolleys at Lulu hypermarket in Dubai Silicon Oasis, to make last-minute purchases before the holy month, which started in the UAE on Saturday.
While many were busy making sure they had all the items on their lists, most were reflecting on spending time with loved ones and the importance of giving during Ramadan when The National visited the shop.
Omar Obeidat, 27, had a list from his wife of essential purchases for Ramadan.
“I’m buying meat, cheese, chicken and rice,” he said.
“We always make something sweet too for when we end our fast during Ramadan so I need to buy those ingredients.”
The civil engineer from Jordan said he was buying extra because he and his wife always give food to those in need during Ramadan.
“We donate rice and meat to those who aren’t as fortunate as us,” he said.
“I think that’s a really important part of Ramadan. We have to remember to help others.”
Eric Dury, 73, an actor from the UK, was also stocking up on essentials for Ramadan.
“I am buying a lot of muesli, bananas and canned milk because, when we eat suhoor in the morning during Ramadan, it has to be something really quick,” he said.
“Then for iftar, I stock up on fresh fruit and juices, rice, pasta and rice pudding.”
Mr Dury said Ramadan is a special time because it brings families closer together.
“There is a spiritual side to it as we eat together as a family after fasting during Ramadan,” he said.
“It brings meaning to our lives and it encourages my wife and I to be better people.
“That’s because we have to both set a good example for our daughter and act as role models.”
Homemaker Naseeba Jefeer, 29, was also doing some last-minute shopping.
“Celebrating iftar together as a family is hugely important,” said Ms Jefeer, from India.
“We always tend to eat at home rather than go out.”
Egyptian pharmacist Hasnaa Nofal, 46, was also filling up her trolley with food including traditional Ramadan fare like nuts and dried fruit.
“Ramadan is truly a special time because it brings all of the family together,” said Ms Nofal.
“You make sure you spend that time together that you might not otherwise have throughout the year.
“It is important for many reasons, especially from religious and social viewpoints.”
Shopper Ghada Harhar, 38, was trying to ensure she had the right ingredients. Her three children aged 10, 13 and 16, will also be fasting, along with their parents.
“I have to get something to keep the children happy that is also healthy,” she said.
“I am trying to stock up on fresh juices and vegetables.
“We always make fatteh together as well,” added the Syrian.
Armenian Hasmik Petrosyan, 38, does not fast herself but her Syrian husband does, which was why she was making sure her trolley was full of the right ingredients for Ramadan.
“I prepare all the food so it’s ready for him as soon as it’s time for iftar,” she said.
“I ensure there is always plenty of snacks and meat.”
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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7.10pm Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
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7.45pm Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
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8.55pm Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
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Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
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Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
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Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
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1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
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The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
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Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019
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Brazil – $143 million
Argentina – $52 million
Mexico – $36 million
Iran – $27 million
Israel – $18 million
Venezuela – $17 million
Korea – $10 million
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USA – $2.38 billion
Brazil – $287 million
Spain – $110 million
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
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Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
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Dos
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- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
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- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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.
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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”.
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For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
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- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
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If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
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