Tara Masri is a Palestinian teenager with a dream.
She aspires to study politics at a top college in the US and go back to her country to help her community.
The 17-year-old from Nablus is one step closer to making this dream a reality after she won a full-ride scholarship worth more than $307,000 to Middlebury College in Vermont.
Attending the liberal arts school, often touted as one of the most expensive in the country, will be a sea change for Tara, who lives with her parents and her 12-year-old sister in Palestine.
“I feel very privileged to have got this opportunity,” Tara said.
“In Palestine it's very hard to afford such amounts of money for university and my application reflected that I needed a scholarship.
“Middlebury is one of the most expensive liberal arts colleges in the US and it would not have been possible for me to cover the expenses.”
Tara said studying at Middlebury will lead to opportunities for her.
“Here there is a lot of tension in the nearby villages but we are safe," Tara said.
“There is a saying that Palestinians are born talking about politics, and I feel like politics is an integral part of my life.
“Studying in the US will introduce me to a new realm of international human rights.
“It will help me understand and raise awareness of the different injustices happening around the world.
“My goal is to come back to Palestine and give back to my community.”
Tara has lived in Nablus all her life and studied at an American school.
In her spare time, she takes part in activities like the Model United Nations, has tutored others, and was part of a club dedicated to informing people about Palestinian history.
"I worked hard to get good grades and participated in extracurricular activities," she said.
Dubai consultancy helps remove barriers to higher education
Hale Education Group, a consultancy in Dubai that offers mentoring and admissions counselling to pupils, helped the teenager apply for universities and scholarships.
A full-ride scholarship covers the total cost of attendance for four years of undergraduate studies and includes tuition fees, accommodation, food, insurance and, living expenses.
Sonia Bendre, a 19-year-old Nigerian teenager, was accepted at three top US universities and will be heading to Ivy League Dartmouth College in New Hampshire this autumn.
Tara and Sonia were in need of full scholarships to attend university, and Hale Education Group in Dubai helped the teens apply to colleges and for funding free of charge.
Since 2018, the Hale Scholars Programme has helped 10 pupils who are high achievers and from low-income backgrounds access education at top US universities.
Sleepless nights give way to jubilation
Sonia was delighted to receive a full scholarship worth $304,000 to pursue her bachelor's studies in engineering at Dartmouth.
She will be travelling to the US to start her studies in September.
“I definitely needed a scholarship to attend college,” said Sonia.
“I cannot be more appreciative of everything Hale Education Group helped me with."
Sonia is of Indian descent, grew up in Nigeria and will be joining her brother in the US.
As a safety net, the pupil applied to 20 colleges there.
“After I got a few rejections, I was losing my confidence but my counsellor was very supportive," she said.
“I had very little confidence in myself as an applicant but my counsellor reassured me.”
In March, the acceptances and scholarships trickled in one after the other.
“I was very nervous when I knew the decisions were coming out. I could not sleep the entire night," she said.
“I got the acceptance from Vanderbilt University at 3am and I was so excited that I woke my mother up.
“When I got the acceptance from Dartmouth College I did not tell anyone I was opening the letter. When I saw the acceptance, I screamed and called the family.
"I needed a scholarship to be able to afford eduction in the US.
"The pandemic has affected everyone and I was trying to get into college with scholarships."
After she finishes her degree in engineering at Dartmouth College, Sonia hopes to work in the field of sustainable technology.
She is interested in helping developing countries find technological systems that work for their environment.
Supporting students 'my way of giving back'
Hale Education Group has supported many high achieving students who may not have the funds to pursue their goals.
"Many of these students have got scholarships and this is my way of giving back to society,” said Peter Davos, founder of Hale Education Group.
"For high achieving students coming from challenging backgrounds, we help them get scholarships.
“We offer our services pro-bono to high achieving students from challenging socio-economic conditions."
Mr Davos described helping underprivileged students as the best part of his job.
"It makes me feel amazing," he said.
"My hope is that they will play a role in the community."
At present, Hale Education Group is seeking deserving candidates from across the region whom they can help access education.
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Leaderboard
64 - Gavin Green (MAL), Graeme McDowell (NIR)
65 - Henrik Stenson (SWE), Sebastian Soderberg (SWE), Adri Arnaus (ESP), Victor Perez (FRA), Jhonattan Vegas (VEN)
66 - Phil Mickelson (USA), Tom Lewis (ENG), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Ross Fisher (ENG), Aaron Rai (ENG), Ryan Fox (NZL)
67 - Dustin Johnson (USA), Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez (ESP), Lucas Herbert (AUS), Francesco Laporta (ITA), Joost Luiten (NED), Soren Kjeldsen (DEN), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
68 - Alexander Bjork (SWE), Matthieu Pavon (FRA), Adrian Meronk (POL), David Howell (ENG), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR), Sean Crocker (USA), Scott Hend (AUS), Justin Harding (RSA), Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Shubhankar Sharma (IND), Renato Paratore (ITA)
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m. Winner: Rio Angie, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Trenchard, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Mulfit, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Waady, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m. Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Read more from Johann Chacko
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HyveGeo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abdulaziz%20bin%20Redha%2C%20Dr%20Samsurin%20Welch%2C%20Eva%20Morales%20and%20Dr%20Harjit%20Singh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECambridge%20and%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESustainability%20%26amp%3B%20Environment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%20plus%20undisclosed%20grant%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVenture%20capital%20and%20government%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
The lowdown
Badla
Rating: 2.5/5
Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
