Over the past couple of years, as part of Covid-19 related restrictions, we’ve got used to living in "bubbles". The size of the bubbles waxes and wanes but across the world, in the office, at home, in school, in so much of our daily lives, we avoid contact with others. All of us look forward, I suppose, to the day when restrictions become irrelevant and "bubbles" simply burst or float away into our memories.
I was reminded the other day, however, that there is another kind of bubble in which many of us choose to live, of our own free will – one which also has a direct impact on our life in the Emirates.
This country is enormously diverse in its population. There are people of nearly 200 nationalities who live and work here. Categorised by the passports they carry, some of those nationalities can be counted in their millions, others in no more than a few hundreds, if that, with everything else in between. Each can represent a bubble in which people live, even if, for larger countries and larger communities, more tightly defined "sub-bubbles" exist.
For many people, social engagement with others, apart from those one meets at work or school, can be defined as interacting with people from the same national or ethnic bubble or sub-bubble. That can be easy, not just in terms of language but because of cultural affinities. Yet choosing to restrict oneself in such a way can result in missing out on the opportunities to experience the full extent of the multi-cultural diversity that the UAE has to offer and to learn and benefit from it.
I have been fortunate over the years to have had and to have been able to maintain a social network across cultural, national and ethnic boundaries. It is fairly diverse network, despite my lack of language skills. One companion on an outing last month not only came from a different continent, but was many, many decades younger than I.
The other day I was chatting with a friend living in Abu Dhabi about her experiences here. Outside work, she said, she had initially chosen to pursue a sport that is effectively limited to her own country and to its expatriates overseas. And so, much of her social life involved engagement with people of her own nationality.
Then she decided to take up a different sport, the triathlon, as it happens, and met up with a whole new bunch of people, working in different fields, coming from different countries, and with markedly varied backgrounds. This athletic community travels around a bit too, so, a couple of weekends ago, my friend gathered with many others in Ras Al Khaimah, giving her the opportunity to see another part of the country. Taking up that new sport, she says, has helped her to get to know a wider variety of people, as well as to learn more about the country.
In my own favoured leisure pursuit, birdwatching, I have come across British, Irish, Filipinos, Lebanese, Indians, Egyptians, Emiratis and others, all brought together by a shared interest in observing the country’s birdlife. As birds can be found anywhere – in mountain wadis, in the cities, in the deep deserts and on offshore islands – travelling to look for them involves criss-crossing the whole of the Emirates. From that, I have learnt an enormous amount, in particular the fact that there is much more to this country than cities, skyscrapers and malls.
I understand why it is often easier to spend time with people who share a similar background in terms of nationality and upbringing. That is a perfectly natural approach. There is, however, a lot to be gained, though, from stepping out of the personal comfort zone provided by mixing only with one’s own nationality. Reaching out to people from different communities, finding a shared interest can open up a whole new set of insights, whether it is triathlons or any other form of sport, or birdwatching, or fishing or even more sedentary forms of activity.
From the social engagements that follow, it is possible to learn to understand people better and to break through the invisible barriers that contribute to divisions and misunderstandings. Doing that does not mean that one has to shrug off the identities that each of us have developed and that link us to our communities and countries. Those identities provide us with solid foundations. From there we can contribute to the diversity that characterises this nation.
I hope that, as the artificial bubbles imposed on us by Covid-19 restrictions pass away, more of us, of all nationalities, will reach out to learn what lies beyond our own immediate community. That will be of benefit to all.
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Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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Company%20profile
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The specs: 2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS
Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm
Torque: 540Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L / 100km
World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
Results
5pm: Reem Island – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Farasah, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
5.30pm: Sir Baniyas Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: SSR Ghazwan, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Astral Del Sol, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Al Maryah Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Toumadher, Dane O’Neill, Jaber Bittar
7pm: Yas Island – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Saadiyat Island – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,400m; Winner: Celestial Spheres, Gary Sanchez, Ismail Mohammed
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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
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Duminy's Test career in numbers
Tests 46; Runs 2,103; Best 166; Average 32.85; 100s 6; 50s 8; Wickets 42; Best 4-47
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
More on Quran memorisation:
The five pillars of Islam
Zayed Sustainability Prize
RESULT
Wolves 1 (Traore 67')
Tottenham 2 (Moura 8', Vertonghen 90 1')
Man of the Match: Adama Traore (Wolves)
RESULTS
Women:
55kg brown-black belt: Amal Amjahid (BEL) bt Amanda Monteiro (BRA) via choke
62kg brown-black belt: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Ffion Davies (GBR) via referee’s decision (0-0, 2-2 adv)
70kg brown-black belt: Ana Carolina Vieira (BRA) bt Jessica Swanson (USA), 9-0
90kg brown-black belt: Angelica Galvao (USA) bt Marta Szarecka (POL) 8-2
Men:
62kg black belt: Joao Miyao (BRA) bt Wan Ki-chae (KOR), 7-2
69kg black belt: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Gianni Grippo (USA), 2-2 (1-0 adv)
77kg black belt: Espen Mathiesen (NOR) bt Jake Mackenzie (CAN)
85kg black belt: Isaque Braz (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE), 2-0
94kg black belt: Felipe Pena (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL), 4-0
110kg black belt final: Erberth Santos (BRA) bt Lucio Rodrigues (GBR) via rear naked choke
Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
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