I once wrote that there were four words that would keep me in the UAE: no tax, valet parking.
Now, after a couple of weeks in sweltering London, I have to add another two: air conditioning.
The British capital has been gripped by what some of the tabloids are calling "the summer of death".
Warm, sunny days, with temperatures in the low 30s, are said by the red-top newspapers to be responsible for more than 700 deaths over the past fortnight. Hysterical nonsense.
Roads are melting in the heat, wildfires are breaking out in the countryside and products like fans, sun cream and men's shorts are hard to find.
It's a peculiarly British type of crisis.
When I tell people I live in Dubai and that the temperature in the summer regularly tops 40 degrees, they give me a look of pity.
"How can you bear it? Still, at least this must be OK for you then. You're probably glad of the cold weather," they laugh.
The truth is that I'm not taking it at all well, because London is not geared up to take even moderately hot weather.
Air conditioning is an exception virtually everywhere. Give me 40°with AC, rather than 30° without it, any time.
As I write this in a Starbucks near Blackfriars, the air temperature is 34°, but the only cooling in the whole shop is a tiny air fan, maybe 10 inches across, clearly fighting a losing battle.
The poor baristas look on the verge of mutiny at the conditions, and I wouldn't blame them for shutting up shop and walking out in protest.
***
I'm a student again, at least for a while. My temporary accommodation in London is my daughter's student residence, and my neighbours are mainly foreign students doing summer courses in London. And what lovely people they are. Maybe it's because they're not from the UK, or maybe times have changed completely, but I'm sure when I was at university, some time back in the medieval era, students were a lot less polite, and much more noisy and boisterous.
I sit on the balcony after dinner listening to the sound of the city, and there is barely a peep from the apartments to my right and left.
The only noise comes from a crowd of youngsters in the street below (British, of course) coming home from a night out.
I have a chat with my next-door neighbour, a Turkish Cypriot studying marketing at Kings College. After discussing the situation in Turkey, Syria and the Kurds, we get around to talking about London.
He's had a good time as a student in the capital, but wants to get back to Cyprus.
"I don't really like English people, they are too noisy," he says, apologising to me immediately for the minor slight on my perceived nationality. No offence taken. I think I largely agree with him.
***
I used to hate Canary Wharf when I worked there 10 years ago.
Then, London's new financial district built on the moribund docklands to the east was a soul-less construction site, devoid of facilities or any fun.
A trip eastwards last week to meet some banking contacts changed my mind completely.
The place is now absolutely buzzing, with shops, restaurants and all you would wish for in a working environment.
It is obviously a great success, and I was wrong back then, I concluded as I watched the Thames slip by on my return trip westwards on a new Thames Clipper boat.
fkane@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
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The five pillars of Islam
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
SCORES
Yorkshire Vikings 144-1 in 12.5 overs
(Tom Kohler 72 not out, Harry Broook 42 not out)
bt Hobart Hurricanes 140-7 in 20 overs
(Caleb Jewell 38, Sean Willis 35, Karl Carver 2-29, Josh Shaw 2-39)
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)
More on Quran memorisation:
TEAMS
EUROPE:
Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren, Thorbjorn Olesen, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson
USA:
Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau ( 1 TBC)
Brief scores:
Barcelona 3
Pique 38', Messi 51 (pen), Suarez 82'
Rayo Vallecano 1
De Tomas Gomez 24'
The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
MATCH INFO
Leeds United 0
Brighton 1 (Maupay 17')
Man of the match: Ben White (Brighton)
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
