Why Glasgow?
When compared to Edinburgh, sometimes Glasgow appears as the ugly sister of Scotland's major cities. Although it's not the capital, Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, and those who are willing to do a little digging often say it has the edge over its comparatively unwelcoming eastern rival.
A former industrial powerhouse, Glasgow was the British Empire's second city. The now quiet River Clyde was one of the world's foremost shipbuilding arenas, and with those huge profits came staggering Victorian architecture, much of which still stands today.
Added to that are three universities, the country's best museums (almost all of which are free to enter) and one of the most lively music scenes in Europe. Yet perhaps the city's biggest attraction is the gregarious Glaswegians themselves, whose combination of determination, hilarious turn of phrase and occasional hot temper are depicted on the world stage by three of its most famous sons: Sir Alex Ferguson, Billy Connolly and Gordon Ramsay.
A comfortable bed
For a city of a million people, there aren't many five-star hotels, but One Devonshire Gardens (www.hotelduvin.com/hotels/glasgow) has a stellar, Scotland-wide reputation for excellence, has a fantastic location and hosts a wonderful restaurant. Doubles start from £165 (Dh950). Blythswood Square (www.townhousecompany.com/blythswoodsquare) is a calm spot in the heart of the action. Rooms there start from £199 (Dh 1150).
Find your feet
Unbeknown to many, Glasgow has its own underground train system. Known by some as the Clockwork Orange (though few locals refer to it as such) because of its circular route and the bright colour of its carriages, the system has been around since 1896, making it the third oldest in the world. Trains run in both directions every few minutes all day (www.spt.co.uk).
Conveniently, the metro links the bustling city centre with the arty west end of the city, but if you prefer to stay overground and see more of Glasgow, open-top bus tours provide hop-on, hop-off tickets (www.citysightseeingglasgow.co.uk).
Meet the locals
Unlike in so many other modern cities, locals will talk to you given half the chance. To get a real sense of the Glasgow of old, head to the Barras Market (www.glasgow-barrowland.com), held on the eastern edge of the city centre every Saturday and Sunday. Locals have been trading their wares since the 1920s, and are never short of a quick line to entice potential customers.
For a more refined experience, head to the West End and to Ashton Lane, a wee cobbled street that's home to some of the city's liveliest restaurants and bars. The ever-popular Ubiquitous Chip is one of the trendiest spots in Glasgow, and it serves some of its best food.
Book a table
Since Gordon Ramsay's Glaswegian venture failed in 2004, the city has been without a Michelin-starred restaurant. However, knocking on the French judges' doors is the Ayrshire-born chef Brian Maule at Chardon d'Or (www.brianmaule.com). Using French techniques taught to him by the likes of Michel Roux, Maule shows off the best Scottish produce to his diners. Look out for the fried scallops with pesto dressing (£12.95; Dh75).
If you're looking for something with a stronger Scottish focus, try Stravaigin (www.stravaigin.co.uk), also in the city centre. As well as serving pigeon and locally sourced mussels, they also have an excellent fish and chips (£9.95; Dh57) and the Scottish national dish, haggis, neeps (turnip) and tatties (potatoes) (£8.95; Dh 52).
Shopper's paradise
Most international chains can be found along the huge pedestrianised avenues of Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, all of which intersect each other. For bespoke boutiques and independent designers, head to the Merchant City (www.merchantcityglasgow.com), a comparatively quiet haven on the east side of the city centre.
What to avoid
Beyond the Merchant City, the east end of the city centre is in need of rejuvenation and offers little for tourists other than the Barras Market (above). Also, if talking to a local, it's best to avoid admitting a preference of either Rangers or Celtic, Glasgow's ever-squabbling rival football clubs.
Don't miss
Edinburgh seems to save all its arts and culture for the fraught month of the Edinburgh Festival, but Glasgow has something going on every night of the week, all year long. There are few, in any, cities in Britain that rival the Dear Green Place (the approximate translation of "Glasgow" from old Gaelic) for live music, with everyone from newly formed acts to mega stadium fillers rocking venues across the city.
For a uniquely Glaswegian experience, visit The Arches (www.thearches.co.uk) a dark, dingey and atmospheric venue built under Glasgow Central train station, or the booming 100 year old Barrowlands (www.glasgow-barrowland.com) at the end of Argyle Street. The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (www.secc.co.uk) by the riverside is where you'll find the globally renowned acts once they've hit the top, but if you want to try and catch the next big thing on their way up, head to King Tut's Wah Wah Hut (www.kingtuts.co.uk) - a small place that's helped launch the careers of Radiohead, Snow Patrol and Oasis to name a few.
Go there
Etihad Airways (www.etihadairways.com) flies to Glasgow via Manchester from Dh3,570 return including taxes. Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies direct from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh4,570 return including taxes.
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Company%20Profile
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
RESULT
Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)
Kolkata win by 25 runs
Next match
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 3.6 V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Power: 295bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: Dh155,000
On sale: now
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
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The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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 Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
The Laughing Apple
Yusuf/Cat Stevens
(Verve Decca Crossover)
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000, 2,400m
Winner: Recordman, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000, 2,200m
Winner: AF Taraha, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Dhafra, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000, 1,600m
Winner: AF Momtaz, Fernando Jara, Musabah Al Muhairi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000, 1,600m
Winner: Optimizm, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
FORSPOKEN
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Starfield
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The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
more from Janine di Giovanni
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
