Why Nice?
The Côte d'Azur's largest city is a welcome antidote to the glittering resorts of the Riviera. Vibrant, and full of colour and beauty, it's a proper working city that wears its long history lightly. Narrow lanes zigzag through the medieval old town, Vieux Nice, where tall Italian baroque buildings in shades of ochre and terracotta loom over shops and restaurants. At its heart is Cours Saleya, where a daily market squeezes into the square ringed with restaurant terraces. Towering over Vieux Nice is Castle Hill, where a free lift whisks you up to the gardens, cafes and ancient ruins that overlook the city as well as the old port farther to the east.
In the new town, stately Belle Époque buildings line the streets that branch off from the central Place Masséna, including the buzzing, pedestrianised Rue de France and its numerous restaurants. And just below is the Promenade des Anglais, the long waterfront walkway that hugs the Baie des Anges and the many beach clubs dotted along Nice's Mediterranean coast.
A comfortable bed
Even among the waterfront hotels lining the Promenade des Anglais, the Palais de la Méditerranée (www. nice.regency.hyatt.com; 0033 4 93 27 12 34) stands out in all its Art Deco glory. Recently bought by Hyatt, this elegant five-star has an indoor/outdoor pool and large contemporary rooms, many with views of the sea. Doubles start at €220.50 (Dh1,080) excluding breakfast.
The four-star La Pérouse (www.leshotelsduroy.com; 0033 4 93 62 34 63) is built into the cliff of Castle Hill, and its rooms offer sweeping views of the Baie des Anges and most of Nice. A discreet swimming pool nudges into the cliff, and the pretty Provençal-style rooms come with a balcony or a terrace. Doubles, excluding breakfast, start at €147 (Dh720).
Hotel Windsor (www.hotelwindsornice.com; 0033 4 93 88 59 35) is a living art gallery, with French artists let loose to put their distinctive stamp on the rooms. Ask for one facing the garden and the swimming pool. Doubles from €128 (Dh627), excluding breakfast.
Find your feet
Central Nice's sights are within easy strolling distance, with Vieux Nice to the east and the 19th-century newer quarter to the west. The main tourist office (www.nicetourisme.com; 0033 8 92 70 74 07) is at No 5 on the Promenade des Anglais, not far from the extraordinary confection that is the Negresco hotel. Trams and buses cost €1 (Dh5), which is handy if you want to explore the upmarket suburb of Cimiez, to the north of the centre.
Meet the locals
Place Garibaldi, on the edge of the old town, hums with cafes under the elegant arcades of the Italianate yellow and green townhouses. Café de Turin (www.cafedeturin.fr; 0033 4 93 62 29 52) has been a popular meeting place for more than a century - just the spot for an aperitif and a plate of oysters from €13.60 (Dh67). The neighbouring Serain Cappa patisserie looks deceptively plain, but serves some of the best pastries in the city.
Book a table
You can't escape the Italian influence on the cuisine. The lively Attimi on Place Masséna (www.attimi.fr; 0033 4 93 62 00 22) serves enormous plates of homemade pasta, ranging from gnocchi with pistou (the Niçois version of pesto) for €13.50 (Dh66) to a seafood spaghetti feast with clams, mussels, prawns and squid for €17.50 (Dh86). Tucked away from the Rue de France is the shaded courtyard terrace of La Maison de Marie (www.lamaisondemarie.com; 0033 4 93 82 15 93), where you can try the menu Niçois for €22.50 (Dh110), which includes lamb terrine and roasted rabbit. Chef David Faure at Aphrodite on Boulevard Dubouchage (www.restaurant-aphrodite.com; 0033 4 93 85 63 53) shows that molecular gastronomy doesn't have to be hijacked by nitrous oxide and foam on everything. Try the €40 (Dh196) menu, for starters that include foie gras with smoked sardines and a main course of tender beef that has been cooked for 14 hours.
Shopper's paradise
Nice's boutiques range from the usual Provençal souvenirs to high-quality local products. Taste the superior olive oils at Oliviera (www.oliviera.com; 0033 4 93 13 06 45) in Rue du Collet before stocking up. Nearby, Maison de l'Olive (www.olivesepices.com; 0033 4 93 80 01 61) in Rue Parolière has a delectable selection of spices from around the world. The Auer chocolate shop (www.maison-auer.com; 0033 4 93 85 77 98), near the opera house in Rue St-François de Paule, has fed chocolate lovers' addictions for nearly 200 years. Head to Avenue Jean Médecin for fashion shops and the Galeries Lafayette department store (www.galerieslafayette.com; 0033 4 92 17 36 36).
What to avoid
If your flight arrives in rush hour, your taxi into the city centre could end up costing a fortune - upwards of €50 (Dh245). Instead, take the 98 bus for €4 (Dh20), which also gives you all-day travel.
Don't miss
Stroll through the olive groves of Cimiez, surrounding the Matisse Museum (www.musee-matisse-nice.org; 0033 4 93 81 08 08), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer. And look out for the subtle entrance to Palais Lascaris at 15 Rue Droite in Vieux Nice. This handsome Baroque townhouse is now a museum with wonderfully ornate interiors and an impressive collection of antique musical instruments. As with almost all of Nice's museums, it's free.
Getting there
A return direct flight with Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dubai to Nice takes about six and a half hours, and costs from Dh3,705 including taxes.
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Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
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.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Super Rugby play-offs
Quarter-finals
- Hurricanes 35, ACT 16
- Crusaders 17, Highlanders 0
- Lions 23, Sharks 21
- Chiefs 17, Stormers 11
Semi-finals
Saturday, July 29
- Crusaders v Chiefs, 12.35pm (UAE)
- Lions v Hurricanes, 4.30pm
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
57%20Seconds
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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
TOUR DE FRANCE INFO
Dates: July 1-23
Distance: 3,540km
Stages: 21
Number of teams: 22
Number of riders: 198
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
