ABU DHABI // Will and Kate visited a Dubai restaurant. Moet & Chandon planned to fill the Dubai Fountain with its champagne. A Pokemon creature was sighted at the Burj Khalifa.
April 1 was an eventful day.
It began at the Reform Social & Grill in The Lakes, in Dubai, which claimed that Prince William and his wife Kate had popped in for breakfast.
“The pair tucked into the restaurant’s famous full English breakfast and enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey tea in the garden,” the restaurant said.
It also posted an “obviously Photoshopped” snapshot of the British royals on the restaurant’s Facebook page, said Richard Cowling, general manager.
Another press release was received by The National claiming that the Dubai Fountain would be filled with 22,000 gallons of Moet & Chandon “Platinum” champagne, sold in “a solid platinum bottle, with a cork made from 500-year-old cedar trees” for Dh2,445.
“Guests will then be wowed by a specially choreographed light and sound show, featuring music composed by Moby and Jay-Z. The French national synchronised swimming team have also been confirmed to make an appearance,” the fake release said.
A Dubai toy retailer tweeted that a Pokemon had been sighted at the Burj Khalifa, and radio hosts on Dubai 92’s morning show interviewed a fake cosmetic surgeon who claimed to be able to make the host look like Rihanna.
Selfies in particular proved a fruitful source of social satire.
Google claimed to introduce a feature where users could set “shareable selfies” – thus, Shelfies – as a custom theme in their Gmail accounts.
Meanwhile, the Eton Institute in Dubai claimed to be “helping the community” take better selfies with a free workshop on April 1.
“People generally lack the skills required to take the perfect selfie, which affects their self-confidence due to the low number of likes on Facebook, Instagram and other popular social media platforms, to the point where they don’t even want to go out anymore,” the language-learning institute said.
The course purportedly would have taught participants how to replicate “the ‘duck lips’ and ‘sparrow face’ made famous by celebrities”. Also covered is “what your selfie says about you”, “how to take a selfie in every situation” and “how to get rid of company so you can take a selfie”.
“We’ve had a few people register for the workshop on the website,” said Moaz Khan, marketing director at the Eton Institute in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Once someone tries to register, a message appears saying: “Happy April Fool’s Day!”
Though it now seems to be a chance for advertising, the history behind April Fool’s remains somewhat of a mystery.
Some theorise it started with the change in the French calendar system in the 15th century. Others look to references by poets or writers, which seem also seem to point to the tradition in Europe starting at least before the 16th century.
Still others think April Fool’s could have evolved out of springtime festivals in ancient Rome and Persia, some of which involved humour or pranks.
While April Fool’s Day may be all about creating mirth, the underlying intent is no joke – laughing is important for one’s health.
“The ability to laugh – especially at one’s self – is indicative of emotional wellbeing,” said Justin Thomas, psychologist and associate professor at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi.
Researchers in one study watched high-performing chief executives and low-performing chief executives while they interviewed people, said Mr Thomas.
“The interviews held by the high-performing CEOs were characterised by significantly more laughter,” he said. “Humour requires empathy and insight, again, hallmarks of wellbeing and emotional intelligence.”
Mr Thomas pointed out that April Fool’s jokes should stay light-hearted – “darker manifestations of humour” can be malicious, making jokes at the expense of other people.
Some religious scholars have decried the tradition for this reason, saying April Fool's jokes and pranks are forbidden in Islam.
“There are also people who use humour evasively or defensively. This can sometimes be problematic,” Mr Thomas said.
“But overall, fun, jokes, the occasional harmless, well-intended prank are healthy,” he said.
lcarroll@thenational.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
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”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
'Nope'
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
The%C2%A0specs%20
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Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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Match info
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Donating your hair
• Your hair should be least 30 cms long, as some of the hair is lost during manufacturing of the wigs.
• Clean, dry hair in good condition (no split ends) from any gender, and of any natural colour, is required.
• Straight, wavy, curly, permed or chemically straightened is permitted.
• Dyed hair must be of a natural colour
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
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
