A Delicate Truth
John le Carré
Viking
Nobody does the machinations, double-dealing and backstabbing behind the Whitehall façade quite as well as John le Carré. As Tony Blair's government takes the country into Iraq to nullify weapons of mass destruction, career diplomat Toby Bell begins his climb up the ladder: Berlin, Madrid, Cairo - eventually to become private secretary to Fergus Quinn, the junior minister of state to the Foreign Office.
While in the service of the frankly underhand Quinn, he stumbles across a murky plot to snatch a much-wanted Islamist arms dealer, who is in Gibraltar on a deal. British forces are involved, as are a few American mercenaries.
Three years later, the crows come home to roost and Toby, invited to visit Sir Christopher Probyn, a retired diplomat, discovers that his early fears about the mission to Gibraltar were not unfounded.
Faced with the choice of following his conscience or staying loyal to the questionable demands of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's sense of duty, Toby does the right thing. All very British, of course, but then this is John le Carré.
* Nigel Walsh
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
The specs: 2018 Maserati GranTurismo/GranCabrio
Price, base Dh485,000 (GranTurismo) and Dh575,000 (GranCabrio)
Engine 4.7L V8
Transmission Six-speed automatic
Power 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 520Nm @ 4,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.3L (GranTurismo) and 14.5L (GranCabrio) / 100km
