Go on safari this winter in Norway
Artisan Travel is now offering tailor-made holidays to winter destinations. The Multi-Active Aurora and Snowhotel package, in Kirkenes, Norway, gives a mix of Scandinavian, Sámi and Russian culture. It includes a snowmobile safari, husky safari, Northern Lights King Crab safari and a tour and evening meal at Kirkenes Snowhotel. Prices start from £1,218 (Dh7,021) per person, for four nights, full board (four breakfasts and two dinners), excluding flights. Guests can upgrade to a double room in the Snowhotel. The package is available from January to March. For more information, visit www.artisantravel.co.uk.
New tailor-made alpine activities
Summit Retreats has launched "Experience" tabs on its website, allowing guests to customise their entire alpine holidays. Activities include hot-air ballooning above the slopes and learning a skill, such as wood-chopping or carving. Those with children can take them to Zermatt Unplugged and listen to live music against the backdrop of the Matterhorn. Or for relaxation, visit the Chalet Marco Polo's Elemis Spa. For more information, visit summitretreats.com.
Ski Colorado with Aspen package
A ski break in the United States just got cheaper with the St Regis Resort Aspen and Virgin Holidays' discounts when booking seven nights or more before November 30. The Colorado-based resort features a Remède Spa, an outdoor heated swimming pool and a fitness centre. Dining options include the Italian-American Trecento Quidici Decano, Aspen's newest restaurant, and the Shadow Mountain Lounge. The package starts from £2,080 (Dh11,939) per person for seven nights and includes economy flights from London to Denver and airport transfers. It's available from December 1 to April 30. For more information, visit book.virginholidays.co.uk.
Learn-to-ski break in Switzerland
From now until April 30, Emirates is offering its "Learn to Ski" package in Interlaken, Switzerland. The package includes return economy flights, three nights' accommodation, breakfast, one full-day group lesson, including a day ski pass in the beginners' area, one two-and-a-half-hour lesson, including a day ski pass, and choice of free ski time before or after the lesson. Hotel-pick up and all transfers on the second and third day in Interlaken, equipment hire and taxes are also included. Prices start at Dh7,757 per person, based on two adults sharing, departing from Dubai. For more information, visit www.emirates.com.
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Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
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The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
