Egyptian author Alifa Rifaat was honoured as today's Google Doodle, on what would have been her 91st birthday on June 5.
The writer was born Fatimah Rifaat, but known by her pen name Alifa Rifaat, in Cairo, in 1930. She died in the Egyptian capital on January 1, 1996, aged 65.
She left behind three sons and a body of more than 100 works that have been translated into several languages.
She was known for her feminist writing; Distant View of a Minaret, Bahiyya's Eyes and My World of the Unknown are three of her best-known works. In her early career, her writing focused mainly on romance, but the theme shifted to social critique in her later career.
The Google Doodle is being shown on the search engine's homepage in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the UAE.
Rifaat wrote her first short story at the age of 9, and, at the time, her older sister reprimanded her for her writing.
At the beginning of her career, from 1955 to 1960, Rifaat wrote her stories under a pseudonym. However, her husband did not approve of her work, and she stopped releasing anything for more than a decade.
Then in 1983, she published a collection of 15 short stories, Distant View of Minaret.
In 1984, the Modern Literature Assembly honoured Rifaat with the Excellency Award.
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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If you go
The flights
Fly direct to London from the UAE with Etihad, Emirates, British Airways or Virgin Atlantic from about Dh2,500 return including taxes.
The hotel
Rooms at the convenient and art-conscious Andaz London Liverpool Street cost from £167 (Dh800) per night including taxes.
The tour
The Shoreditch Street Art Tour costs from £15 (Dh73) per person for approximately three hours.
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
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The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
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Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
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Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
