Stitching Unity (2024) by Hazem Harb. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Stitching Unity (2024) by Hazem Harb. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Stitching Unity (2024) by Hazem Harb. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Stitching Unity (2024) by Hazem Harb. Chris Whiteoak / The National

UAE art guide: 19 museum and gallery exhibitions, including first Rami Farook solo show in Abu Dhabi


Razmig Bedirian
  • English
  • Arabic

This week’s exhibitions feature paintings that show walls in Palestine as records of daily life under occupation, collages that reassemble against loss, and works on paper that blur the lines between diary entries and public statements.

Also, a three-part exhibition at 421 Arts Campus traces the evolution of the contemporary arts scene in the UAE; the Sharjah Art Foundation marks the opening of an exhibition venue dedicated to photography; and a pop-up show by Inloco Gallery showcases the human tension against impermanence.

Here are 19 exhibitions to see this week:

1. Prix Pictet: Storm at Ishara Art Foundation

Storm showcases the 12 photographers shortlisted for the eleventh Prix Pictet. Photo: Ishara Art Foundation
Storm showcases the 12 photographers shortlisted for the eleventh Prix Pictet. Photo: Ishara Art Foundation

Storm spotlights the 12 photographers shortlisted for the 11th Prix Pictet, an international photography award with a focus on sustainability and environmental issues. Storm, the exhibition at Ishara Art Foundation, marks its first international presentation after its premiere at London's Victoria and Albert Museum in September 2025.

The exhibition’s title is also its theme. It prompted photographers to consider the upheavals incurred by climate change, political unrest and forced migration.

Until December 13; Monday to Saturday, 10am-7pm; Dubai

2. Everything Comes to an End at Inloco Gallery

The Shahada (2023) by Abdulrahim Al Kendi. Photo: Inloco Gallery
The Shahada (2023) by Abdulrahim Al Kendi. Photo: Inloco Gallery

Impermanence is a certainty, and the artworks in this pop-up exhibition lean into the finite. Organised by Inloco Gallery, the show marks a return to its more nomadic approach to showcasing art, nearly three years after developing its permanent space in Al Quoz.

The exhibition brings together 10 artists from across the world, many of them from the region. The works presented showcase how we confront the notion of impermanence and of things coming to an end. Alongside paintings and photography are more non-traditional works, including a sculpture by Neda Salmanpour that is covered in sand; carved soap-works by Samir Toumi; and Abdulrahim Al Kendi’s abstractions that take cues from binary code.

Until December 13; Monday to Sunday, 10am-10pm; Dubai

3. Restless Circle at Sharjah Art Foundation

Afra Al Dhaheri's exhibition brings together artworks across a variety of materials and mediums. Photo: Sharjah Art Foundation
Afra Al Dhaheri's exhibition brings together artworks across a variety of materials and mediums. Photo: Sharjah Art Foundation

The centrepiece of Restless Circle, and the artwork that lends the exhibition its title, is an installation inspired by the desert plants that draw circular patterns in the sand as they swerve with the wind.

For Afra Al Dhaheri, this ceaseless, spiralling movement, with no specific destination or purpose, offers a sharp metaphor to the fatigue inflicted by the constant expectation to produce and perform.

It is a concern that pervades across several works in Restless Circle. Al Dhaheri specifically tackles the idea of repetition, highlighting its tension in relation to time. She uses a diversity of materials to explore these concepts, including rope, fabric, cement and even hair, arranging them in loops, strands and bends, forms that allude to the motions of time.

The body of work is thought-provoking – at once challenging capitalistic and artistic expectations of ceaseless production, while also showing how new forms of knowledge emerge from the cyclical processes of making and unmaking.

Until December 14; Saturday to Thursday, 9am-9pm; Friday, 4pm-9pm; Sharjah

4. Self Care: Rami Farook at Iyad Qanazea Gallery

Rami Farook’s first solo exhibition in Abu Dhabi brings together about 40 works on paper produced over the past 14 years. Created primarily using ink, pastel, charcoal and lead, the works alternate between image and text.

Paper has a special place in Farook’s practice. For the artist, the medium requires an intimate approach. As the exhibition says, it is “a surface where emotions cannot be disguised, and impulses cannot be undone – a space of realisation and release".

The works draw from phrases written on the artist’s bedroom wall, including notes, prayers and affirmations. Visually, they evoke a gamut of emotions, from the thoughtful solitude of Staring At Wall and Happiness Is Good Health, Meaningful Purpose and Love to the affection in Caring, which shows a mother embracing her child.

Until December 23; Monday to Friday; 12pm-6pm; Abu Dhabi

5. The Only Way Out is Through at The Twentieth Line at The Third Line

The exhibition marks Third Line gallery's 20th anniversary. Antonie Robertson / The National
The exhibition marks Third Line gallery's 20th anniversary. Antonie Robertson / The National

Curated by Shumon Basar, The Only Way Out is Through marks the 20th anniversary of The Third Line, the contemporary art gallery in Alserkal Avenue.

In reflecting upon the gallery’s last two decades, bringing together works by every artist The Third Line has worked with, the exhibition inevitably contemplates upon the growth of Dubai as well, and in doing so, touches upon key global moments.

A timeline runs along the exhibition floor, with references that flit between hyperlocal and international events. These range from the launch of Art Dubai as well as the opening of Burj Khalifa to regional markers like the 2014 Gaza War, the 2020 Beirut Port Explosion and the launch of Saudi Arabia’s The Line, to global episodes like the outbreak of Covid-19 and the release of ChatGPT.

Between these timestamps and artworks by the likes of Farah Al Qasimi, Hayv Kahraman, the duo Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Tarek Al-Ghoussein and Yasiin Bey, The Only Way Out is Through becomes an exhibition that is as meditative and nostalgic as it is sobering.

Until December 28; Monday to Sunday, 11am-7pm; Dubai

6. Seas are sweet, fish tears are salty at Jameel Arts Centre

Mohammad Alfaraj's show spans photography, film, installation and poetry. Photo: Jameel Arts Centre
Mohammad Alfaraj's show spans photography, film, installation and poetry. Photo: Jameel Arts Centre

Art Jameel presents the first institutional solo exhibition of Saudi artist Mohammad Alfaraj. Rooted in his hometown of Al Ahsa, the works draw from agricultural landscapes, oral traditions and the details of everyday life.

The show spans photography, film, installation and poetry, unfolding across both the indoor galleries and garden spaces of Jameel Arts Centre. Hands, birds and palm trees recur throughout, forming a loose constellation of motifs. New commissions include a sound piece, a site-specific structure and a video work. The exhibition reflects Alfaraj’s interest in storytelling, moving across human and non-human worlds.

Until January 4; Saturday to Thursday, 10am-8pm; Fridays, noon-8pm; Dubai

7. Sila: All That is Left to You at Maraya Art Centre

Stitching Unity (2024) by Hazem Harb. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Stitching Unity (2024) by Hazem Harb. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Sila: All That is Left to You is an exhibition dedicated to tatreez, the centuries-old Palestinian art of embroidery.

Curated by Cima Azzam of Maraya Art Centre and Noor Suhail, curator of 1971 – Design Space, the exhibition brings together works from across a range of mediums, from video and installation to textiles and paintings.

Many of the works in Sila were crafted in collaboration with embroiderers from Inaash Association, a non-profit that supports more than 2,000 women in Palestinian refugee camps across Lebanon.

Collectively, the works in the exhibition expand on the possibilities and definition of tatreez. They show the technical aspects of the technique, with its care for precision, while also touching upon its historical and societal layers.

The works also highlight how tatreez has become a mode of resistance over the decades, subsisting against the erasure of Palestinian culture.

Until January 5; Saturday to Thursday, 10am-7pm; Friday, 4pm-7pm; Sharjah

8. Marks of Return: Salma Dib at Aisha Alabbar Gallery

Salma Dib views walls in Palestine as an archive of daily life under occupation. Photo: Aisha Alabbar Gallery
Salma Dib views walls in Palestine as an archive of daily life under occupation. Photo: Aisha Alabbar Gallery

Walls are often regarded as neutral structures, but Salma Dib’s works show how they function as sites of record in Palestine. Covered with writing, as well as other markings, walls document daily life under occupation and conflict.

Dib’s artistry draws from these layered markings. The Palestinian artist’s solo exhibition at Aisha Alabbar Gallery presents a new body of work that highlights how walls should be regarded as living archives, especially in places such as Palestine that face cultural and existential erasure.

Until January 7; Monday to Saturday, 10am-6pm; Dubai

9. The Shape of Things to Come at Efie Gallery

The group exhibition displays the works of six internationally acclaimed artists. Photo: Efie Gallery
The group exhibition displays the works of six internationally acclaimed artists. Photo: Efie Gallery

Artists El Anatsui, Carrie Mae Weems, Abdoulaye Konate, Yinka Shonibare, Iman Issa and Adam Pen come together in this group exhibition at Efie Gallery.

The Shape of Things to Come reflects upon the drastic and at times rapid transformation that define modern life. These include political upheavals, technological and cultural impact as well as environmental crises. The works exemplify how art addresses these changes, but also prepares for them.

Until January 10; Monday to Saturday, 11am-7pm; Dubai

10. Houselessness: Mohammed Joha at Zawyeh Gallery

Palestinian artist Mohammed Joha uses collages as a means of reassembly against loss
Palestinian artist Mohammed Joha uses collages as a means of reassembly against loss

Born in Gaza, Mohammed Joha has been living in Europe for more than two decades. The enclave, however, remains a prime focus of his work, especially as his family and friends are still there and many were killed by Israeli strikes. Joha’s own home, as well as a trove of more than 500 paintings, was also destroyed.

In Houselessness, Joha uses collage as a way to address displacement and survival. The Palestinian artist’s works are made from fabric, paper, cardboard, plastic and other salvaged materials, most of them drawn from destroyed environments or personal belongings.

Until January 11; Monday to Sunday, 10am-6pm; Dubai

11. Past of a Temporal Universe at NYUAD Art Gallery

Tin Soldiers by Ala Younis. Victor Besa / The National
Tin Soldiers by Ala Younis. Victor Besa / The National

The individual components in Ala Younis’s works are small – tin soldiers, dioramas and archival materials – but the way they come together, as a constellation of stories touching upon mythmaking, urban planning and societal perception, is monumental.

The Kuwaiti-born Jordanian artist draws from her background as an architect to build sprawling bodies of work that reference landmark modernist structures as a departure point.

From the Le Corbusier-designed Baghdad Gymnasium to Egypt’s High Dam, Younis begins drawing an archival trail, citing films, music, video footage and literature, while inviting viewers to explore these personable stories.

Past of a Temporal Universe brings more than two decades' worth of work in one space, in an elegantly curated exhibition that offers a lot of food for thought, whether you are familiar with Younis’s works or experiencing them for the first time.

Until January 18; Tuesday to Sunday, noon-8pm; Abu Dhabi

12. I like to like what others are liking at Sharjah Art Foundation

The exhibition shows the Brazilian artist's large-scale installations and watercolours from the 1980s. Photo: Sharjah Art Foundation
The exhibition shows the Brazilian artist's large-scale installations and watercolours from the 1980s. Photo: Sharjah Art Foundation

Even from its title, Leda Catunda’s exhibition at Sharjah Art Foundation’s Al Mureijah Square seems like a self-reflective confession. And in a way, it is, prompting an introspection of desire, taste and identity.

I like to like what others are liking is Catunda’s largest solo presentation outside of Brazil. It brings together works dating back to the 1980s, including large-scale installations and watercolours that explore the overlap between the handmade and the mass-produced.

A leading voice of 1980s Brazilian art, Catunda fuses painting and sculpture, evolving from fabric-based pop assemblages to sensuous, baroque abstractions.

Until February 8; Saturday to Thursday, 9am-9pm; Friday, 4pm to 9pm; Sharjah

13. And After at Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi

The exhibition examines the seasonal variations of the Arabian concepts of sukoon, naseem and riyah. Photo: Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi
The exhibition examines the seasonal variations of the Arabian concepts of sukoon, naseem and riyah. Photo: Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi

Curated by Dirwaza Curatorial Lab, And After features mixed-media works by 15 artists. The artworks explore the element of air through Arabian concepts such as sukoon, which denotes stillness; naseem, a gentle zephyr; and riyah, which refers to a turbulent gust.

Exhibiting artists include Yousif Abdulsaid – The florist from nothingness, Ammar Al Attar, Moza Al Falasi, Omar Al Gurg, Mariam Al Khoori, Jawad Al Malhi, Salmah Al Mansoori, Reem Al Mubarak, Abdulla Buhijji, Zara Mahmood, Iman Shaggag, Leila Shirazi, Mohammed Kazem, Ayman Zedani and Razan Al Sarraf. Together, their work invites visitors to reconsider their natural surroundings, particularly the subtle shifts that underline each season.

Until February 22, Saturday to Thursday, 9am-8pm; Friday, 2pm to 8pm; Abu Dhabi

14. Self-portrait with a cat I don’t have at Jameel Arts Centre

French-Syrian artist Bady Dalloul is known for his layered works. Photo: Jameel Arts Centre
French-Syrian artist Bady Dalloul is known for his layered works. Photo: Jameel Arts Centre

In his debut institutional solo exhibition in the UAE, Bady Dalloul presents an autobiography that touches upon collective memory.

The French-Syrian artist uses books, board games, matchboxes and magazines to create layered works, narrative epics that challenge Eurocentric perspectives and definitions of art.

A highlight of the show, and one made specifically for the exhibition, is Age of Empires. The series of 50 works on paper draws from a 19th-century Japanese astrology manual to reflect upon the rise and demise of imperial power. The exhibition also features a recreation of Dalloul’s home studio in Dubai, featuring works that shed light on his itinerant life and practice that have led to travels across France, Japan and the UAE.

Until February 22, Saturday to Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 10am-8pm; Friday, noon-8pm; Dubai

15. Two Clouds in the Night Sky at Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi

Much of Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim's work is inspired by his native Khor Fakkan. Photo: Cultural Foundation
Much of Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim's work is inspired by his native Khor Fakkan. Photo: Cultural Foundation

Two Clouds in the Night Sky delves into the work and practice of Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, a pioneering Emirati artist with a singular process and aesthetic.

Much of his work is inspired by the geography and colour palette of his native Khor Fakkan. The city's cliffs and coral reefs feature in his art as allusions, or through their patterns and textures in paintings. In sculptures such as Fresh and Salt, they are used as a medium in themselves. In Between Sunrise and Sunset – the work he presented at the 2022 Venice Biennale – he reflects upon the changes in colour between dawn and dusk.

Until February 22; Saturday to Thursday, 9am-8pm; Fridays, 2pm to 8pm; Abu Dhabi

16. Rays, Ripples, Residue at 421 Arts Campus

This exhibition marks the 10th anniversary of 421 Arts Campus, offering an opportunity to reflect on the practices that have emerged in this time, while also looking towards the future.

The works displayed in Rays, Ripples, Residue are diverse, encompassing video, performance, installations and multimedia. The works promote discussions on “what it means to produce art in the UAE today”, the exhibition literature reads, highlighting perspectives of emerging creatives, collectives and grassroots initiatives, while also nodding to the role of cultural institutions that have promoted these practices.

Rays, Ripples, Residue can be considered as three exhibitions that overlap and inform one another.

Munira Al Sayegh’s Leading to the Middle, for instance, celebrates the contributions of key instigators, from Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim to Lamya Gargash, Khaled Esguerra and Bait15, showing how their works have had a ripple effect on the local arts scene.

Where Al Sayegh unpacks a seminal moment in the earlier moment of the country’s contemporary arts landscape, Nadine Khalil considers what it was like to enter the scene after this trail-blazing moment from the early 2000s to the 2010s. Her Ghosts of Arrival shows, as the exhibition literature reads, “the quieter structures that continue to shape the present". Artists and collectives featured here include Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Mona Ayyash, Nadine Ghandour, Bait Juma, Hashel Lamki, Sara Naim and Isaac Sullivan.

Finally, Murtaza Vali’s SUN™ takes its cue from the sun, not only as a source of life, but also through the way it governs rhythms of daily routine. Symbolically, it reflects “the growing complexity and maturity of artistic practice and discourse in the UAE”, reads the literature. “The diverse conceptual, material and process-based approaches on display are pitched between the sun’s eternal beauty and increasingly urgent critiques of consumption and climate change, revealing the contradictions embedded in narratives of modernity and progress.”

Artists included in this section are Charbel-Joseph H. Boutros, Khalid Jauffer, Raja'a Khalid, Nima Nabavi and Pratchaya Phinthong.

Until April 26; Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-8pm; Abu Dhabi

17. Image Keepers at Photography Gallery

The Bride is Beautiful but She is Married to Another Man (2017) by Rula Halawani. Photo: Sharjah Art Foundation
The Bride is Beautiful but She is Married to Another Man (2017) by Rula Halawani. Photo: Sharjah Art Foundation

The inaugural show at Sharjah Art Foundation's new venue in Al Manakh brings together works by 17 artists and collectives. The photographs are all drawn from the foundation’s collection and encompass studio portraits and multimedia installations.

Highlights include The Bride is Beautiful but She is Married to Another Man, a 2017 portrait series by Rula Halawani that depicts Palestinians just before the checks at the border crossing. Sunil Gupta’s Black Experience delves into the everyday lives of South Asian communities in the UK in the 1980s. Susan Hefuna’s Landscape/Cityscape shows Cairo and the Nile Delta through a pinhole camera. Mohammed Kazem’s Window shows the rapid urban development in the UAE, documenting the rise of a new building and the experiences of the workers constructing the structure.

Until April 26; Saturday to Thursday, 9am-9pm, Friday, 4pm-9pm; Sharjah

18. Of Land and Water at Kalba Ice Factory

John Akomfrah, Vertigo Sea (still), 2015. The work is featured in the Of Land and Water exhibition at the Kalba Ice Factory. Photo: Sharjah Art Foundation
John Akomfrah, Vertigo Sea (still), 2015. The work is featured in the Of Land and Water exhibition at the Kalba Ice Factory. Photo: Sharjah Art Foundation

Of Land and Water marks the first presentation of works from the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection in the emirate's east coast.

The exhibition presents large-scale works by nine international artists and collectives. The works ponder upon how borders sever stretches of open land and sea, dividing inhabitants and impacting their daily lives.

Until May 31; Saturday to Thursday, 9am-9pm; Friday, 4pm-9pm; Sharjah

19. Spectra of the Beautiful Past at Bait Sheikh Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi

Spectra of the Beautiful Past brings together works by prominent Emirati artists including Abdulrahim Salem and Najat Makki. Photo: Bait Sheikh Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi
Spectra of the Beautiful Past brings together works by prominent Emirati artists including Abdulrahim Salem and Najat Makki. Photo: Bait Sheikh Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi

Taking place in the heritage house in Kalba, Sharjah, the exhibition brings together works by prominent Emirati artists including Abdulrahim Salem and Najat Makki. The work on display is meant to evoke nostalgia and an appreciation for a bygone era.

The exhibition’s venue underscores its themes. Constructed at the turn of the 20th century, it was built by and named after the ruler of Kalba, Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi.

Until May 31, Saturday to Thursday, 8am-8pm; Friday, 4pm-8pm; Sharjah

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Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.

Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.

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Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others

Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.

As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.

Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.

“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”

Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.

“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”

Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.

The Africa Institute 101

Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction. 

UK's plans to cut net migration

Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.

Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.

But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.

Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.

Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.

The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

The Lowdown

Kesari

Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra

 

Yahya Al Ghassani's bio

Date of birth: April 18, 1998

Playing position: Winger

Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda

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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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You may remember …

Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.

Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.

Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.

Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.

Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme

Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.

The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.

It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.

The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.

Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions

Armies of Sand

By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
 

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SQUADS

UAE
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice-captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan

Nepal
Paras Khadka (captain), Gyanendra Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Pradeep Airee, Binod Bhandari, Avinash Bohara, Sundeep Jora, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Rohit Paudel, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Basant Regmi, Pawan Sarraf, Bhim Sharki, Aarif Sheikh

Silent Hill f

Publisher: Konami

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Rating: 4.5/5

THE SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)

Power: 141bhp 

Torque: 250Nm 

Price: Dh64,500

On sale: Now

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E261hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400Nm%20at%201%2C750-4%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.5L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C999%20(VX%20Luxury)%3B%20from%20Dh149%2C999%20(VX%20Black%20Gold)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Example heady

Blah blah blah

SPECS
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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Mountain%20Boy
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How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now

Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.

The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.

1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):

a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33

b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.

2. For those who have worked more than five years

c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.

Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UPI facts

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

Dolittle

Director: Stephen Gaghan

Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen

One-and-a-half out of five stars

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The Old Slave and the Mastiff

Patrick Chamoiseau

Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale

Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs

Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor

Power: 843hp at N/A rpm

Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km

On sale: October to December

Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)

The bio

His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell

His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard

Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece

Favourite movie - The Last Emperor

Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great

Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos

 

 

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Price: from Dh155,000

On sale: now

Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

The 12

England

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur

Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus

Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid

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On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE

Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”

Updated: December 12, 2025, 12:42 PM