Iranian Umrah pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia for first time in almost a decade

UAE coins

Dh5 note

Dh10 note

Dh20 note

126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure

1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch

16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.

9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.

5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place

192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.

• Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
• Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
• Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
• Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
• Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Lokman Slim – the assassination of a most elegant critic

Saudi Arabia welcomes US President Joe Biden's speech

Yemen takes centre stage as Biden’s Middle East priority

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

Director: John Madden 

Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton

Rating: 4/5

• Priority access to new homes from participating developers
• Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
• Flexible payment plans from developers
• Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
• DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates

UAE coins

Dh5 note

Dh10 note

Dh20 note

• Finals draw: December 2
• Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
• Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
• Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

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

Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
 
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

• Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
• Option 2: 50% across three years
• Option 3: 30% across five years 

October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Rawat Al Reef, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)

5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Noof KB, Richard Mullen, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Seven Skies, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qaiss Aboud

6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Jabalini, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

7pm: UAE Arabian Derby – Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Dergham Athbah, Richard Mullen, Mohamed Daggash

7.30pm: Emirates Championship – Group 1 (PA) Dh1,000,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle

8pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Group 3 (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Irish Freedom, Antonio Fresu, Satish Seemar

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm

Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm

Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm

2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,950m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).

2.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

3.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Adam McLean, Doug Watson.

3.45pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,950m; Winner: Conclusion, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.

4.15pm: Handicap Dh100,000 1,400m; Winner: Pilgrim’s Treasure, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.

4.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m; Winner: Sanad Libya, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

5.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,000m; Winner: Midlander, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

BEST FILM

• 1917 - Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jayne-Ann Tenggren
• THE IRISHMAN - Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
• JOKER - Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
• PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Sin-ae

DIRECTOR

• 1917 - Sam Mendes
• THE IRISHMAN - Martin Scorsese
• JOKER - Todd Phillips
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
• PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

• 1917 - Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
• BAIT - Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite
• FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
• ROCKETMAN - Dexter Fletcher, Adam Bohling, David Furnish, David Reid, Matthew Vaughn, Lee Hall
• SORRY WE MISSED YOU  - Ken Loach, Rebecca O’Brien, Paul Laverty
• THE TWO POPES - Fernando Meirelles, Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin, Tracey Seaward, Anthony McCarten

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

• THE FAREWELL - Lulu Wang, Daniele Melia
• FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
• PAIN AND GLORY - Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
• PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
• PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE - Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur

LEADING ACTRESS

• JESSIE BUCKLEY - Wild Rose
• SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Marriage Story
• SAOIRSE RONAN - Little Women
• CHARLIZE THERON - Bombshell
• RENÉE ZELLWEGER - Judy

LEADING ACTOR

• LEONARDO DICAPRIO - Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
• ADAM DRIVER - Marriage Story
• TARON EGERTON - Rocketman
• JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Joker
• JONATHAN PRYCE - The Two Popes

SUPPORTING ACTOR

• TOM HANKS - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
• ANTHONY HOPKINS - The Two Popes
• AL PACINO - The Irishman
• JOE PESCI - The Irishman
• BRAD PITT - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• LAURA DERN - Marriage Story
• SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Jojo Rabbit
• FLORENCE PUGH - Little Women
• MARGOT ROBBIE - Bombshell
• MARGOT ROBBIE - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• THE IRISHMAN - Steven Zaillian
• JOJO RABBIT - Taika Waititi
• JOKER - Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
• LITTLE WOMEN - Greta Gerwig
• THE TWO POPES - Anthony McCarten

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• BOOKSMART - Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
• KNIVES OUT - Rian Johnson
• MARRIAGE STORY - Noah Baumbach
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
• PARASITE - Han Jin Won, Bong Joon ho

DOCUMENTARY

• AMERICAN FACTORY - Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
• APOLLO 11 - Todd Douglas Miller
• DIEGO MARADONA - Asif Kapadia
• FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
• THE GREAT HACK - Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaime

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

• BAIT - Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)
• FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab (Director/Producer), Edward Watts (Director)
• MAIDEN - Alex Holmes (Director)
• ONLY YOU - Harry Wootliff (Writer/Director)
• RETABLO - Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio (Writer/Director)

ANIMATED FILM

• FROZEN 2 - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho
• KLAUS - Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh
• A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON - Will Becher, Richard Phelan, Paul Kewley
• TOY STORY 4 - Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen

CASTING

• JOKER - Shayna Markowitz
• MARRIAGE STORY - Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Victoria Thomas
• THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD - Sarah Crowe
• THE TWO POPES - Nina Gold

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)

• AWKWAFINA
• JACK LOWDEN
• KAITLYN DEVER
• KELVIN HARRISON JR.
• MICHEAL WARD

CINEMATOGRAPHY

• 1917 - Roger Deakins
• THE IRISHMAN - Rodrigo Prieto
• JOKER - Lawrence Sher
• LE MANS ’66 - Phedon Papamichael
• THE LIGHTHOUSE - Jarin Blaschke

EDITING

• THE IRISHMAN - Thelma Schoonmaker
• JOJO RABBIT - Tom Eagles
• JOKER - Jeff Groth
• LE MANS ’66 - Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Fred Raskin

COSTUME DESIGN

• THE IRISHMAN - Christopher Peterson, Sandy Powell
• JOJO RABBIT - Mayes C. Rubeo
• JUDY - Jany Temime
• LITTLE WOMEN - Jacqueline Durran
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Arianne Phillips

PRODUCTION DESIGN

• 1917 - Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales
• THE IRISHMAN - Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
• JOJO RABBIT - Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
• JOKER - Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran
• ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh

SOUND

• 1917 - Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson
• JOKER - Tod Maitland, Alan Robert Murray, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic
• LE MANS ’66 - David Giammarco, Paul Massey, Steven A. Morrow, Donald Sylvester
• ROCKETMAN - Matthew Collinge, John Hayes, Mike Prestwood Smith, Danny Sheehan
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - David Acord, Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood

ORIGINAL SCORE

• 1917 - Thomas Newman
• JOJO RABBIT - Michael Giacchino
• JOKER - Hildur Guđnadóttir
• LITTLE WOMEN - Alexandre Desplat
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - John Williams

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

• 1917 - Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron, Dominic Tuohy
• AVENGERS: ENDGAME - Dan Deleeuw, Dan Sudick
• THE IRISHMAN - Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli, Pablo Helman
• THE LION KING - Andrew R. Jones, Robert Legato, Elliot Newman, Adam Valdez
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh, Neal Scanlan, Dominic Tuohy

MAKE UP & HAIR

• 1917 - Naomi Donne
• BOMBSHELL - Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan
• JOKER - Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
• JUDY - Jeremy Woodhead
• ROCKETMAN - Lizzie Yianni Georgiou

BRITISH SHORT FILM

• AZAAR - Myriam Raja, Nathanael Baring
• GOLDFISH - Hector Dockrill, Harri Kamalanathan, Benedict Turnbull, Laura Dockrill
• KAMALI - Sasha Rainbow, Rosalind Croad
• LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL) - Carol Dysinger, Elena Andreicheva
• THE TRAP - Lena Headey, Anthony Fitzgerald

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

• GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC - Maryam Mohajer
• IN HER BOOTS - Kathrin Steinbacher
• THE MAGIC BOAT  - Naaman Azh

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.

Peter Hellyer: UAE's conservationists are playing an important role on the global stage

Gillian Duncan: Parts of UAE desert were carpeted with greenery before camels overran them

James Langton: Abu Dhabi environment report highlights record conservation efforts

He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal

He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side

By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam

Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border

He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push

His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level

1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.

2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash. 

3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible. 

4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key. 

5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor

Iraq 1-0 UAE

Iraq Hussein 28’

-      Don’t do it more than once in three days

-      Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days

-      Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode

-      Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well

-      Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days

-      Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates

-      Manage your sleep

-      People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting

-      Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert

First farmer of Saadiyat Island tells of miracle crop growth in the Abu Dhabi desert

Date palms 'can help save the world from climate change'

Abu Dhabi's nooks and crannies that in my book amount to the city's treasures