The Catalan city of Barcelona, home to 1.6 million people and famous worldwide for its unique architecture, attracts about 30 million tourists a year.
But the flocks of visitors have also pushed up rent and real estate prices, and chased locals out of the city centre, causing disgruntled citizens to stage protests.
The finger of blame is often pointed at Airbnb and similar sites. They dispute such accusations, and some cities have a harmonious relationship with the online rental marketplace.
Yet in Barcelona, city officials say that registration rules on the platforms are too lax and allow people to advertise flats for short periods without the required permit.
Because anyone can sign up on Airbnb, illegal listings on the platform are proportionally higher than on rival websites, officials told The National.
In a signal of its tough stance on the matter, Barcelona became the first European city last year to ban short-term private room rentals.
At a cost of about €1 million ($1.06 million) a year, Barcelona city now has a dedicated team of about 35 people who check listings.
Every few months, the team sends a list of illegal listings to Airbnb's Dublin headquarters, which takes them down.
This system has cut the number illegal new listings from about 6,000 a month in 2016 to 500 today, the city says. Over the years, thousands of listings have been removed in this way.
Double checking information submitted by hosts is the city’s job, and the problem is that it is often false or misleading, said Eva Mur, director of Barcelona City Hall’s inspection services.
“Some people put the wrong ID or make up a licence number,” Ms Mur said.
Cities need more help to tighten controls, she said, which is where the EU steps in.
Barcelona and many other European tourist hot spots are closely watching a long-awaited EU proposal to increase transparency and data sharing from short-term holiday platforms such as Airbnb.
In early November, the EU’s executive arm unveiled a proposal to increase data sharing between public authorities and short-term rentals (STRs), which is the Brussels jargon for holiday platforms that include the likes of Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia.
The proposal calls on countries to give hosts a unique registration number that they must display online on a single digital entry point.
If a host fails to submit the requested documentation, which includes a description of the accommodation and its maximum number of guests, local authorities may suspend their registration number.
Travel platforms would also have to share monthly data on the same portal. They will be able to perform random checks on the validity of hosts’ ID numbers.
Stir in Brussels
The proposal has caused a stir in Brussels after years of attention-grabbing headlines about Airbnb’s legal battles with major European cities, such as Paris, over illegal listings.
“This file is getting a lot of attention", but the changes that Brussels wants to implement are “quite simple", Member of the European Parliament Kim van Sparrentak told The National.
Until now, European legislation considered travel platforms as websites with no obligation to share information, said Ms van Sparrentak, a Dutch politician.
But they are more than websites, they are service providers, she said. And service providers must comply with rules on data sharing.
Ms van Sparrentak said popular European tourist destinations such as Barcelona and Amsterdam had been robbed of their power to enforce their own rules on short-term rentals, which most often include a cap on the number of days a year property owners can rent their homes.
“Cities had lost grip,” she said. “Airbnb can decide what happens in cities and they can’t do anything about it. And this regulation is flipping that.
“The European internal market is very much based on 'the free market will solve everything' and that 'we don’t need rules'.
"And suddenly, we’re like, 'we need rules'. And I think that’s what we’re working towards."
But Ms van Sparrentak said she expected hurdles on the way to implementing the new legislation.
“It’s not going to be easy,” she said. “We know that Airbnb has a very bad reputation when it comes to lobbying and not abiding by the law, because it makes a lot of money with illegal listings.”
People are leaving the city centre for other neighbourhoods because the centre is only for tourists
Eva Mur,
director of Barcelona City Hall’s inspection services
Ms van Sparrentak will represent the European Parliament’s Green group in negotiations in the parliament on the topic.
Parliament must also negotiate with the European Council and discussions are expected to continue for at least a year.
After its adoption and entry into force, the EU’s 27 countries will have a two-year period to establish the necessary systems for data exchanges.
Lack of checks
Yet some cities say more is needed. This month, Barcelona described the EU Commission’s proposal as a “necessary starting point".
But it also made several suggestions, such as asking platforms to conduct systematic inspections of host’s ID numbers, not random ones, and requested that cities receive logistical support ― possibly from the commission ― to provide better checks.
Ms Mur said illegal listings appear more often on Airbnb than on rival sites because its hosts are less likely to be professionals.
On Booking.com, about 50 listings of the 2,000 posted every month are illegal. That is about 2 per cent of the total compared with one quarter on Airbnb.
“Booking.com works more with professionals and hotels," Ms Mur said. "With Airbnb, anyone can put an announcement up."
Since 2018, Airbnb has shared data with Barcelona that includes the URL of the listing, the name of the owner of the flat and the licence number.
Since 2021, Airbnb requires all new listings in the Catalan capital to provide a verified address before posting a new listing.
It says this means that the city can be sure that the data Airbnb has is accurate, which helps with its inspection and law enforcement.
The city of Barcelona disagrees. It says it continues to receive data from new listings that do not contain detailed address information.
Likewise, Airbnb considers that if it has an active listing without a licence that does not have an open calendar, this does not imply a breach.
“That’s an aspect we don’t agree with,” Ms Mur said.
Barcelona stopped issuing new short-term rental licences in 2014 to try to curb their number, which is now at about 9,500.
But it is not illegal to continue advertising long-term rentals on the platform without a tourist licence, which is required only for hosts advertising flats for less than 31 days.
The city can fine hosts who illegally rent their flat up to €60,000 ($63,660).
In addition to causing inconvenience to neighbours, illegal holiday rentals have raised the prices of real estate in Barcelona.
“There’s a huge rise in prices," Ms Mur said. "People are leaving the city centre for other neighbourhoods because the centre is only for tourists. It’s hard to rent long term there now."
A 2020 study published by the Journal of Urban Economics found that Airbnb activity in Barcelona had increased rents in highly popular areas by 7 per cent, and real estate prices by 17 per cent.
With more than 11 million guest nights booked, Barcelona in 2019 was the second most popular European city among short-term renters behind Paris, the EU's statistics office Eurostat said.
The agency in 2021 started releasing data shared by Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and Tripadvisor.
The European cities alliance, which includes more than 20 major European cities and Eurocities, a Brussels-based network, echoed Barcelona's concerns.
"The fact that important short-term rental platforms have not fully co-operated with us by sharing the data we need to ensure compliance with our regulations has indeed been a burden over many years,” it said after the Commission's proposal.
But Airbnb protested against accusations of lacking transparency, saying it wants to be part of the solution to challenges facing cities.
“We have partnered with governments across the EU on measures to help hosts share their homes, follow the rules and pay tax,” Airbnb’s Belgium office told The National.
“We want to work together to improve access to data, boost transparency and address disproportionate local rules that prevent families from sharing their homes, at a time when 40 per cent of hosts on Airbnb in the EU say their earnings help them cover the rising cost of living."
In a position paper published on December 20, Airbnb also shared ideas regarding the Commission's legal proposal.
It said that that it should go further in adressing what it described as "disproportionate STR rules" such as the ban on room rental in Barcelona.
Other proposals were on the opposite end of the spectrum to those suggested by Barcelona city officials to The National.
Airbnb said that while random checks can be of assistance to competent authorities in flagging possible instances of non-compliance, it is imperative that they are done in compliance with EU laws to prevent a "general monitoring obligation" from being enforced on the platform.
More generally, Airbnb called for harmonised rules across the EU, and suggested that the single data entry point be implemented at EU level, not at country level, with a clearer role for the Commission.
The paper argued that local rules are often "burdensome and complicated" for hosts, and gave the example of the city of Berlin, where hosts must follow a "burdensome offline registration and permit process, even if they host in their primary residence".
Airbnb said that the typical host earned just over €3,000 ($3,194) last year and that as of August 2022, European tax authorities had collected $573 million in tourist taxes thanks to Airbnb.
Airbnb first began collecting and remitting tourist taxes in the EU in the Netherlands in 2014.
The company does not publish estimates of illegal listings. On its website, it has listed legal and regulatory guidelines for hosts who, by accepting Airbnb’s terms of services, certify that they will follow local regulations.
Airbnb declined The National's request to interview the platform's co-founder, Nathan Blecharczyk, who published an op-ed on November 17 in news website Euractiv in response the Commission's proposal.
His proposals echoed those made in Airbnb's position paper published this month.
Mr Blecharczyk said that the company was "excited about the future" and wanted "to move forward and build on this opportunity in collaboration with governments, communities, and industries across the EU to develop rules that truly benefit everyone".
Housing crisis
Some observers believe that the Commission’s proposal is avoiding the underlying issue that pushed it to increase data sharing between cities and STRs in the first place — access to affordable housing.
Barbara Steenbergen, head of the International Union of Tenants’ liaison office with the EU, said the Commission’s proposal was “a good first step that serves to set up a data interface with the platforms to fight illegal short-term rental practices".
“It might particularly help cities that do not already have a system in place to control Airbnb in their inner-city areas,” she said.
But Ms Steenbergen also said that the Commission’s proposal failed to address the “professional profit-oriented exploitation of the market".
“When you walk through cities like Lisbon you have endless streets that are Airbnb," she said. "These are all extracted apartments from the regular housing market."
Luis Mendes, a researcher at the University of Lisbon who has worked extensively on the Portuguese capital’s housing crisis, said that better information helped European cities strongly affected by mass tourism and gentrification to make better decisions.
But so far, data is held on corporate digital platforms that “have generally not disclosed it in a systematic manner", Mr Mendes told The National.
“The EU has consequently become a key battleground for the future regulation of both short-term rentals as a service, and of platforms as online intermediaries of such services,” he said.
Lisbon, which was the third most popular city for STRs in 2019, with 10.5 million guest nights booked, according to Eurostat, does not know how many illegal listings there are because it lacks the data.
The city’s communications department told The National that it would soon release a comprehensive report on the sector with input from Airbnb and other stakeholders, which will play an important role in the city's regulations for local accommodation.
The city welcomed the new EU regulation on data sharing, which will allow "regulators to have an accurate picture of the market and make informed decisions".
The housing crisis in the Portuguese capital, born out of the 2008 European debt crisis, has made headlines. Prices are soaring and ordinary city dwellers are being evicted from their homes.
STRs made the situation worse, Mr Mendes said.
Like Ms Steenbergen, he highlighted the need for EU regulation to form part of a broader debate on the housing crisis, which he said has been caused by factors including the financialisation of real estate and local measures affecting the supply of social housing.
“These dynamics … raise the highly political question of how housing should be governed and regulated when it has become an asset in a globalised world of transnational mobilities and capital fluxes, investments and financialisation,” Mr Mendes said.
Ms van Sparrentak said that the right to affordable housing should be handled separately from the Commission’s proposal on data sharing.
“Having transparency on short-term rentals is a very good first step, but there are a lot of housing providers and building buyers that still have to have more scrutiny,” she said.
“That’s a bigger step in working on the internal market and making it less free for all. And it’s also a bit more of a difficult discussion.”
Company%C2%A0profile
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.3-litre%20turbo%204-cyl%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E298hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E452Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETowing%20capacity%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.4-tonne%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPayload%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4WD%20%E2%80%93%20776kg%3B%20Rear-wheel%20drive%20819kg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrice%3A%20Dh138%2C945%20(XLT)%20Dh193%2C095%20(Wildtrak)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDelivery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20from%20August%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
EXPATS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lulu%20Wang%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nicole%20Kidman%2C%20Sarayu%20Blue%2C%20Ji-young%20Yoo%2C%20Brian%20Tee%2C%20Jack%20Huston%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE%20SWIMMERS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E666hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E850Nm%20at%202%2C300-4%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQ1%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh1.15%20million%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More coverage from the Future Forum
Baftas 2020 winners
BEST FILM
- 1917 - Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jayne-Ann Tenggren
- THE IRISHMAN - Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
- JOKER - Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Sin-ae
DIRECTOR
- 1917 - Sam Mendes
- THE IRISHMAN - Martin Scorsese
- JOKER - Todd Phillips
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
- 1917 - Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
- BAIT - Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- ROCKETMAN - Dexter Fletcher, Adam Bohling, David Furnish, David Reid, Matthew Vaughn, Lee Hall
- SORRY WE MISSED YOU - Ken Loach, Rebecca O’Brien, Paul Laverty
- THE TWO POPES - Fernando Meirelles, Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin, Tracey Seaward, Anthony McCarten
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
- THE FAREWELL - Lulu Wang, Daniele Melia
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- PAIN AND GLORY - Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
- PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE - Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur
LEADING ACTRESS
- JESSIE BUCKLEY - Wild Rose
- SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Marriage Story
- SAOIRSE RONAN - Little Women
- CHARLIZE THERON - Bombshell
- RENÉE ZELLWEGER - Judy
LEADING ACTOR
- LEONARDO DICAPRIO - Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
- ADAM DRIVER - Marriage Story
- TARON EGERTON - Rocketman
- JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Joker
- JONATHAN PRYCE - The Two Popes
SUPPORTING ACTOR
- TOM HANKS - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- ANTHONY HOPKINS - The Two Popes
- AL PACINO - The Irishman
- JOE PESCI - The Irishman
- BRAD PITT - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- LAURA DERN - Marriage Story
- SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Jojo Rabbit
- FLORENCE PUGH - Little Women
- MARGOT ROBBIE - Bombshell
- MARGOT ROBBIE - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- THE IRISHMAN - Steven Zaillian
- JOJO RABBIT - Taika Waititi
- JOKER - Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
- LITTLE WOMEN - Greta Gerwig
- THE TWO POPES - Anthony McCarten
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- BOOKSMART - Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
- KNIVES OUT - Rian Johnson
- MARRIAGE STORY - Noah Baumbach
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Han Jin Won, Bong Joon ho
DOCUMENTARY
- AMERICAN FACTORY - Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
- APOLLO 11 - Todd Douglas Miller
- DIEGO MARADONA - Asif Kapadia
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- THE GREAT HACK - Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaime
OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
- BAIT - Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab (Director/Producer), Edward Watts (Director)
- MAIDEN - Alex Holmes (Director)
- ONLY YOU - Harry Wootliff (Writer/Director)
- RETABLO - Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio (Writer/Director)
ANIMATED FILM
- FROZEN 2 - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho
- KLAUS - Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh
- A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON - Will Becher, Richard Phelan, Paul Kewley
- TOY STORY 4 - Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen
CASTING
- JOKER - Shayna Markowitz
- MARRIAGE STORY - Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Victoria Thomas
- THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD - Sarah Crowe
- THE TWO POPES - Nina Gold
EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
- AWKWAFINA
- JACK LOWDEN
- KAITLYN DEVER
- KELVIN HARRISON JR.
- MICHEAL WARD
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- 1917 - Roger Deakins
- THE IRISHMAN - Rodrigo Prieto
- JOKER - Lawrence Sher
- LE MANS ’66 - Phedon Papamichael
- THE LIGHTHOUSE - Jarin Blaschke
EDITING
- THE IRISHMAN - Thelma Schoonmaker
- JOJO RABBIT - Tom Eagles
- JOKER - Jeff Groth
- LE MANS ’66 - Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Fred Raskin
COSTUME DESIGN
- THE IRISHMAN - Christopher Peterson, Sandy Powell
- JOJO RABBIT - Mayes C. Rubeo
- JUDY - Jany Temime
- LITTLE WOMEN - Jacqueline Durran
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Arianne Phillips
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- 1917 - Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales
- THE IRISHMAN - Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
- JOJO RABBIT - Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
- JOKER - Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh
SOUND
- 1917 - Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson
- JOKER - Tod Maitland, Alan Robert Murray, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic
- LE MANS ’66 - David Giammarco, Paul Massey, Steven A. Morrow, Donald Sylvester
- ROCKETMAN - Matthew Collinge, John Hayes, Mike Prestwood Smith, Danny Sheehan
- STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - David Acord, Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood
ORIGINAL SCORE
- 1917 - Thomas Newman
- JOJO RABBIT - Michael Giacchino
- JOKER - Hildur Guđnadóttir
- LITTLE WOMEN - Alexandre Desplat
- STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - John Williams
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
- 1917 - Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron, Dominic Tuohy
- AVENGERS: ENDGAME - Dan Deleeuw, Dan Sudick
- THE IRISHMAN - Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli, Pablo Helman
- THE LION KING - Andrew R. Jones, Robert Legato, Elliot Newman, Adam Valdez
- STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh, Neal Scanlan, Dominic Tuohy
MAKE UP & HAIR
- 1917 - Naomi Donne
- BOMBSHELL - Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan
- JOKER - Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
- JUDY - Jeremy Woodhead
- ROCKETMAN - Lizzie Yianni Georgiou
BRITISH SHORT FILM
- AZAAR - Myriam Raja, Nathanael Baring
- GOLDFISH - Hector Dockrill, Harri Kamalanathan, Benedict Turnbull, Laura Dockrill
- KAMALI - Sasha Rainbow, Rosalind Croad
- LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL) - Carol Dysinger, Elena Andreicheva
- THE TRAP - Lena Headey, Anthony Fitzgerald
BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
- GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC - Maryam Mohajer
- IN HER BOOTS - Kathrin Steinbacher
- THE MAGIC BOAT - Naaman Azh
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.
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:
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)
SPEC%20SHEET
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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
