Khulood Atiq will appear on Thursday and Friday. Courtesy Sharjah International Book Fair
Khulood Atiq will appear on Thursday and Friday. Courtesy Sharjah International Book Fair

What else is cooking at this year’s Sharjah International Book Fair?



The popular Cookery Corner is set to return with internationally renowned chefs appearing as part of the Cooking with Chefs programme.

One of the big culinary names plating up this year is the TV personality chef Hassan Kamal. Popularly called Chef Hassan, he has been hosting cookery shows on TV for 20 years. Known for programmes such as Min Kul Balad Akla and Halo Ya Halo, he favours Italian and French cuisine. He will cook up a storm with appearances from November 10-12.

Another big culinary name is the celebrity chef Nita Mehta. An institution in India, Mehta has written more than 600 books covering a multitude of world cuisines with over 7.5 million copies sold. Catch Mehta whip up exciting dishes on Friday. For those looking for some local Emirati flavour, UAE culinary stalwart Khulood Atiq will appear on Thursday and Friday. For those with sweet cravings, Frenchman Jean Michel Raynaud will bake yummy tarts, pastries and macaroons on November 10, 12 and 13. Raynaud, who began his career under the tutelage of master pâtissier Robert Schicchi in Marseille, became a head pastry chef by the age of 20. He later immigrated to Australia and is pastry chef at La Renaissance Pâtisserie in Sydney. With the Taste of Malabar session on November 13, you can join chefs Faiza Moosa and Umi Abdulla and learn the secrets behind lip-smacking tamarind prawns, Kerala-style fried fish or a variety of rice dishes.

Fun for the family

What can kids do?

There will be puppet shows, plays, yoga and a chance to meet a famous horror author or superheroes like Batman and The Avengers, too – children and young adults have lots to do at the upcoming book fair. Here are the sessions that are not to be missed:

Comic Pavilion

Get ready to be transported to the amazing world of comics and superheroes. Organised in partnership with ComicCave, the UAE's largest distributor of comics, the pavilion will have cartoon characters and Hello Kitty, Marvel's Avengers and manga for graphic-novel fans. The titles to look out for include Attack On Titan, the best-selling Japanese comics series with over 52.5 million copies in print; Sandman: Overture, a graphic novel by English author Neil Gaiman; and Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets by Luc Besson, which is based on a French comic book.

Darren Shan

Known as the master of children's horror, Shan promises to enthral. The Irish author has published more than 40 books making bestseller lists around the world. His first children's book, Cirque du Freak, attracted rave reviews and was turned into a 2009 movie starring Salma Hayek, Willem Defoe and John C Reilly. The author will appear on November 12 at the Intellectual Hall at 7pm.

Check out a few plays

Comedian Mohamed Salem will perform an Arabic one-man show called Wakhid Balik (Are you Taking Care?) on Thursday at 7.30pm, while Friday and Saturday shows will begin at 6.15pm. There's also the Arabic play Sah El Sahih, which tells the story of a child who learns a strange writing method that mixes Arabic letters and the English alphabet. Don't miss the entertaining children's musical Butterfly's Life by Konouz Theatre and Circus from Switzerland, from today through Friday.

Bright minds of India will share their insights

Some of India's best literary figures, management gurus and top chefs will come together at the book fair. Sudha Murthy has written novels, travelogues, technical books and four children's books, including Wise and Otherwise, Mahashweta and How I Taught my Grandmother to Read.

Gurcharan Das, the former chief executive of Procter & Gamble India, will discuss his best-sellers, including India Unbound — available in 17 languages and filmed as a documentary by the BBC — and The Difficulty of Being Good, which examines contemporary moral failures through the lens of the Indian epic the Mahabharata.

One of the biggest crowd-pullers this year will be the Malayalam superstar of screen, Mohanlal, who will talk about his acting journey spanning 35 years and appearances in more than 300 films in several languages. A hit among young readers should be the young-adult fiction author Durjoy Datta, who has churned out 11 novels. While he also writes for TV shows, he’s the co-founder of the publishing house Grapevine India.

For details visit www.sharjahbookfair.com

artslife@thenational.ae

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

MATCH INFO

Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')

Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')

How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
  • Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

EXPATS
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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.
Sugary teas and iced coffees

The tax authority is yet to release a list of the taxed products, but it appears likely that sugary iced teas and cold coffees will be hit.

For instance, the non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.

Cold coffee brands are likely to be hit too. Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.

TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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The line up

Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego  

Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh  

Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Results
  • Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns
  • Braun Strowman and Nicolas won the Raw Tag Team titles against Sheamus and Cesaro
  • AJ Styles retained the WWE World Heavyweight title against Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Nia Jax won the Raw Women’s title against Alexa Bliss
  • Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
  • The Undertaker beat John Cena
  • The Bludgeon Brothers won the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos and New Day
  • Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
  • Jinder Mahal won the United States title against Randy Orton, Rusev and Bobby Roode
  • Charlotte retained the SmackDown Women’s title against Asuka
  • Seth Rollins won the Intercontinental title against The Miz and Finn Balor
  • Naomi won the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
  • Cedric Alexander won the vacant Cruiserweight title against Mustafa Ali
  • Matt Hardy won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal
INDIA SQUADS

India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar

India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.