Seamless. I arrived late, thanks to a two-hour traffic jam on Sheikh Zayed Road followed by confusion navigating the hotel's labyrinthine entrance. It's easy when you know how: just do a U-turn as soon as you get onto Sheikh Zayed Road or you'll be stuck in one-way limbo. With my dinner companions already waiting in the Empire restaurant for almost an hour, it took a special level of smiling calm to return me to equilibrium. The check-in was speedy, painless and relaxing, and I was dispatched in one direction (to the Empire), while my cases were sent in the other (the room).
Number One, Sheikh Zayed Road: you don't get a more central position than this. Perched on the Trade Centre Roundabout, one of Dubai's pivotal road systems - luckily not noisy enough to penetrate the hushed atmosphere of the hotel - you have easy access to the old areas of Deira and Bur Dubai, the posh shopping of Emirates Towers and the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the spectacularly gigantic Dubai Mall and, on the other side of the building, Jumeirah Beach Road.
If you're lucky enough to check in to an upper-floor room, you also will be treated to a view of the sea, the port and the ever-developing building work that has Dubai growing taller and wider every day.
Compact, certainly, but beautifully designed, with frosted glass elegantly separating the bathroom from the bedroom. All the usual goodies were there - thick robes, fluffy slippers, crisp sheets and so on - but the absolute best thing of all was an immense, overflowing fruit basket. This wasn't just a few apples and a plum or two: the pineapple and a cornucopia of soft fruits would have kept us happy all night - if we hadn't eaten far too much at Empire - and they made a refreshing start to the morning.
Always deferential and quick, with a butler attached to the room, although we couldn't think of anything to ask her for, once she'd shown us the room, brought an orange juice in a champagne glass and offered to draw a bath. Perhaps it's a little too discreet - if that's possible. As we waited in the lobby for a taxi, the nonplussed staff stoically endured a screaming rant from an apoplectic Englishman, incensed that he had been charged for internet use without being forewarned. Whoever was in the right (and it probably wasn't the Brit), the almost narcoleptic response from the staff only infuriated him more.
The Monarch may have the best address in Dubai, but it's still a rather quiet spot, with tourists and locals only just starting to discover its delights. It's not a building that gets passing trade, and the result is a slight feeling of emptiness.
Nevertheless, the serene modern-Arabic interior design of the immense lobby feels tranquil rather than desolate. The advantage of this is, of course, that your every command is obeyed with a click of a finger, and the personal attention in the none-too-full Empire restaurant was exceptional.
Empire is a joy - and an undiscovered one at that. In a dark, opulent setting filled with velvet, dark wood and chandeliers, best described as groovy grand, it is intimate even when empty, and unstarchy but special enough to warrant its price tag of US$135 (Dh495) for three courses.
Unlike most restaurants that I've experienced in Dubai, Empire's waiters and maitre d' (an urbane Anthony LaPaglia lookalike from France) have a superb grasp of the menu, the source of the ingredients, the methods of cooking and the traditions of serving. The menu majors on seafood and the pan-fried scallops, and seabass and sea bream were superb. A stonking cheese board and a ceremonially presented crêpes Suzette were dessert highlights, but the whole experience, from the amuse-bouches to the final coffees, were calculated to provide a long, enjoyable evening.
The Mandara Spa, where the gorgeous decor, fragrant oils and a ritual-filled treatment belied the thorough pummelling received at the hands of the therapist during the Balinese massage. At $135 (Dh495,) it wasn't cheap, but it was deeply fabulous, leaving me dazed for a good 15 minutes afterwards.
The internet-charging policy. Really, when you're paying these prices at a five-star hotel, it seems extraordinarily stingy to not have wifi included as standard.
Not that I condone shouting at the staff about it, obviously.
An off-the-beaten-track (so far, at least) escape in Dubai, that's as conveniently placed as you could ask for, with excellent service, very, very comfortable beds and a superb spa. A good choice for those who like the five-star facilities of a large hotel with the intimacy of a boutique hotel.
An executive double room at the Monarch costs from $1,241 (Dh4,560) per night, including taxes (www.themonarchdubai.com; 0 4 501 8888).
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
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
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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.
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
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%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
Results
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Spider-Man%202
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PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
T20 SQUADS
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shinwari, Hassan Ali, Imad Wasim, Waqas Maqsood, Faheem Ashraf.
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
