Luxury firm eyes UAE
Scott Dunn, a United Kingdom-based luxury-travel company that specialises in tailor-made holidays around the world, has launched a new website (www.scottdunn.com) and toll-free phone service (800 035 703 722) aimed at travellers based in the UAE.
The company offers specialised advice from its travel consultants, who each spend a month every year visiting their own specialist areas and experiencing the thousands of properties that the company has on its books. It offers everything from family and group travel in Europe to skiing or honeymoons in Africa.
New posh wheels deals
Travellers heading from the Middle East to popular destinations in Europe can now factor high-end luxury car rental into their plans with Hertz, which has just launched its “Dream Collection”. Featured cars are the Maserati Ghibli and GranTurismo, Aston Martin Vantage and DB9, Bentley Continental Flying Spur and Range Rover Sport, and they are available for hire in selected locations across Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. The price for a Jaguar XK convertible starts at €230 (Dh1,149) per day.
“International travellers from this region are getting younger,” says Sunita Gomes, Hertz’s commercial director for the Middle East and Africa, “and they want to experience the things they’re familiar with when they’re on extended business trips or holidays. And now they can arrange the car they want for the duration, too.”
It certainly opens new possibilities for driving holidays, as Europe has some of the world's best and most scenic roads and Hertz, says Gomes, will soon also be adding some of the most desirable supercars available to the fleets (www.hertzdreamcars.com).
Asian adventure offers
Backyard Travel, an online, Bangkok-based travel agency specialising in holidays in Asia, has cut the price of three of its fully-guided individual tours of Indonesia this summer by 10 per cent.
The first tour, “Meander the Mountains — Bali by VW Convertible”, is a three-day trip in a convertible Volkswagen amphibious vehicle that drives to black lava fields, active volcanoes and ancient temples. The discounted price is from US$328 (Dh1,205) per person, excluding flights, valid until August 31.
Also on offer until August 31 is its “Devotions and Diamonds – Discover Southern Kalimantan” tour, a four-day trip that takes travellers to the less-visited southern part of Borneo. Travellers stay in a lodge and explore floating markets, trek through bamboo forests and learn about the local process of polishing diamonds. This trip is now $474 (Dh1,741) per person.
Until December 31, the nine-day "The Jewels of West Java" trip, which takes in hilltop temples in Bandung, bathing in hot springs at the Tangkuban Perahu volcano and cruising on a small wooden boat through the Green River Canyon near Pangandaran, costs from $1,529 (Dh5,616). All trips are available through www.backyardtravel.com.
rbehan@thenational.ae
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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South Korea
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
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'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Health Valley
Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further
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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
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
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
Disposing of non-recycleable masks
Use your ‘black bag’ bin at home
Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
- No need to bag the mask
EA Sports FC 24
The squad traveling to Brazil:
Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: South Africa, field first
Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48
South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
