Yas Island's magnificent seven on track



Yas Hotel

Stars 5

499 rooms

The renowned hotel on Yas Island bridges the race track, providing unique views of the Grand Prix. It is covered with colour-changing LEDs and serves as a spectacular backdrop during the race.

Preparation for Grand Prix week

Stephen Banks, the director of sales and marketing at Aldar Hotels and Hospitality, the company that manages Yas Hotel, is preparing for a busy week. "I think it's going to be busier this year," he says. "From the hotel's point of view, we have a lot more areas where things are going on in terms of corporate hospitality. This year activity will be extended. "Some of the teams are staying on to test tyres. Also, on the roof of Yas Hotel we've got smaller events, like acoustic sessions by Gabrielle, Sugababes and Corinne Bailey Rae. It's interesting. It went without a hitch last year."

Yas Island Rotana

Stars 4

281 rooms

Restaurants include Rangoli, an Indian restaurant and the Blue Grill steakhouse

Centro Yas Island

Stars 4

259 rooms

A stylish budget hotel, with facilities including a swimming pool and gym. This was the first property Rotana opened under its Centro brand.

Preparation for Grand Prix week

Patrick Martinez, the general manager of the Rotana and Centro hotels, is confident the hotels are well prepared for the influx of tourists. "Based on last year, I think the hotels did not have all the logistics to be able to deliver on a service and product level," he says. "On a logistics side, we are definitely better prepared. In our restaurants, this year there will be more staff to ensure we can deliver. This year we know the demand. The training has been an ongoing process to make sure we deliver like any other day of the year."

Crowne Plaza

Part of InterContinental Hotels Group

Stars 4

428 rooms

Restaurants include Jing Asia and a gastropub, Stills

Staybridge Suites

Part of InterContinental Hotels Group

Deluxe hotel apartments

164 suites

Preparation for Grand Prix week

Dieter Franke, the general manager, Crowne Plaza, is looking forward to welcoming back guests to both hotels, which are managed by the InterContinental Group. "There is a lot of excitement in both hotels during the lead up to the race next weekend," he says. "This will be Abu Dhabi's second year hosting the last race of the F1 season and this combined with all the exciting activities planned for the island for the weekends following the race will ensure Yas is firmly placed on the map. Last year, we had just opened both hotels and our main focus was on meeting our guest's expectations. This time around we will be no different but with the added benefit of experience. We are also looking forward to welcoming back a number of F1 fans and teams who stayed with us last year for the race and hearing their feedback on the experience they have in the hotels this year."

Radisson Blu

Stars 4

397 rooms

Restaurants include Zeeba, which serves authentic Persian cuisine. Radisson Blu is part of the Rezidor Hotel Group

Park Inn 3

Stars

204 rooms

The Park Inn is part of the Rezidor Hotel Group. The hotel on Yas Island is Rezidor's first property under the budget Park Inn brand in the UAE.

Preparation for Grand Prix week

Torbjorn Bodin, the general manager of Radisson Blu and Park Inn, is hoping for a "smooth" week. "Everybody is much more organised now," he says. "Yas Island is, of course, much more complete. Operation of the hotels is much smoother. There is also a lot more trust. Many people didn't believe that the hotels were going to open in time. We opened the hotel three days before the race, so of course we were not organised. You cannot be 100 per cent prepared in those circumstances. But this meant that last year we could get away with [some mistakes]. Now, we've been open for a year, we have to deliver the top-notch service that everybody is expecting. We're all trained and all our systems are in place."

David Harnois, the executive chef for the hotels, admitted last year was "a challenge". "It was an unknown," he says. "We didn't really know what to prepare for. We had to make a lot of last-minute decisions. This year we are much more prepared. I'm flying chefs in from other Radisson hotels in the region, including Oman and Kuwait, to give us a hand. We are expecting our restaurants to be full. We're not going to take reservations. If we have a table available, we have a table available. There's so much happening on Yas Island, with the race, the concerts, Ferrari World, people are just going to want the food and want it now.

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Business Insights
  • Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
  • The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
  • US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Company profile

Name: Thndr

Started: October 2020

Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: FinTech

Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000

Funding stage: series A; $20 million

Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC,  Rabacap and MSA Capital

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)

Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press

City's slump

L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1

While you're here
Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
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If you go

 

  • The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
  • The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
  • The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as  Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
Company%20Profile
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Brief scores:

Kashima Antlers 0

River Plate 4

Zuculini 24', Martinez 73', 90 2', Borre 89' (pen)

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey

Directed by: Pete Doctor

Rating: 4 stars

Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

The Gentlemen

Director: Guy Ritchie

Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant 

Three out of five stars

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

The permutations for UAE going to the 2018 World Cup finals

To qualify automatically

UAE must beat Iraq.

Australia must lose in Japan and at home to Thailand, with their losing margins and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.

Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.

 

To finish third and go into a play-off with the other third-placed AFC side for a chance to reach the inter-confederation play-off match

UAE must beat Iraq.

Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Famous left-handers

- Marie Curie

- Jimi Hendrix

- Leonardo Di Vinci

- David Bowie

- Paul McCartney

- Albert Einstein

- Jack the Ripper

- Barack Obama

- Helen Keller

- Joan of Arc

The more serious side of specialty coffee

While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

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Winners

Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski

Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)

Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea

Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona

Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)

Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)

Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)

Best National Team of the Year: Italy 

Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello

Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)

Player Career Award: Ronaldinho

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Airev
Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 
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The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

SHAITTAN
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