Oman
Named the Islamic Capital of Culture for 2015, Nizwa, once the capital of Oman, is using this year to promote its lesser-known historical and cultural sites. With mountain safaris and the 17th-century Nizwa Fort, there's plenty to keep a traveller engaged. And it's all practically on your doorstep. Nizwa is a mere two hours' drive from Muscat, a city that Etihad, Emirates and FlyDubai fly to. Alternatively, visitors who do not wish to fly can drive there via Al Ain. Dubai-based Desert Adventures is offering day tours to Nizwa from Muscat, visiting the Jabreen Castle (45km from Nizwa) and Bahla fort. Prices start from $115 (Dh422; desertadventures.com). Sahab Hotel in Nizwa also offers guests day activities, including trekking. Prices start from 20 Omani riyals (Dh190), including taxes.
Double rooms at the Sahab Hotel start from 97 Omani riyals (Dh925), per night, including taxes (sahab-hotel.com). Return flights on Etihad start from Dh625 per person, including taxes
Japan
Japan's famous cherry blossoms are in full bloom during this month, engulfing cities like Kyoto and Osaka in a sea of pink. April also marks the beginning of Japan's "Golden Week", a seven-day period spent celebrating nine holidays. Starting April 29 and ending May 5, the first holiday, Showa Day, celebrates with a number of festivities that can be viewed from Shiba Park and Tokyo Tower. Those looking for a luxurious experience can stay at the newly opened Aman Tokyo Resort. Prices start from 91,930 Japanese yen (Dh2,850) per night, including taxes (amanresorts.com). Black Tomato is offering an eight-night trip, with a primary focus on Kyoto. Travellers will spend three days in Tokyo before taking the bullet train to Kyoto. Once there, guests will visit a number of sites including Nijo Castle and Maruyama Park. The package includes accommodation, return flights from the UAE on Emirates, private transfers and tours, and some meals.
Prices start from Dh28,700, per person, including taxes (blacktomato.com)
Nicaragua
April is the final month of the dry season in Nicaragua, making it the ideal time to head off for an outdoor adventure in the country’s rainforests and mountains. And while this Central American country’s newest canal project is promising much economically, travellers looking for a trip that is affordable and off the beaten path are urged to go now before it’s too late. Book the 15-day Discover Nicaragua tour with the US-based Adventure Life tour group, which starts in the capital city of Managua and covers a number of locations including San Carlos, El Castillo and Selva Negra. The package includes some meals, accommodation, guide service and international arrival/departure transfers. International flights and departure taxes are not included.
Prices start from $4,325 (Dh15,885) per person, including taxes (adventure-life.com). Emirates flies direct to Houston, with prices starting from Dh4,745. Onward direct flights on United Airlines to Managua start from Dh1,950 per person, including taxes (www.adventure-life.com)
Azerbaijan
Known for its flaming hillsides and ancient temples, Azerbaijan is a three-hour flight from Dubai, with return direct tickets with FlyDubai starting from Dh1,440, including taxes. While summer in Azerbaijan is both unpleasantly hot and humid, visitors will find the weather in May still pleasant, with maximum temperatures reaching 26°C. May 28 also marks the nation's Republic Day, with celebrations taking place throughout the country. Undiscovered Destinations is offering an eight-day Azerbaijan: Land of Fire package. Commencing on May 24, the itinerary starts in Baku and includes the Absheron Peninsula, Kish and Ganja. Travellers will explore a number of natural and cultural sites, including the Unesco World Heritage Site of Ateshgah and the mud volcanoes. The package includes accommodation, guides, meals and entrance fees. International flights, airport taxes, travel insurance and visas are not included.
Prices start from £1,285 (Dh7,155) per person, including taxes (undiscovered-destinations.com)
Iran
From the ancient sites of Persepolis to Amir Chakhmaq Square in Yazd, there’s plenty to keep a curious tourist busy in Iran. The second half of the month also marks the Festival of Rose Water, held in Kashan, the home of the Mohammadi Rose. There, tourists can watch the traditional process of making rose water. Persian Voyages is offering the 15-day Ancient Persia tour, commencing on May 15. Travelling from Tehran to Isfahan, the tour visits the Towers of Silence in Yazd, the Hafez and Saadi Tombs in Shiraz and more. The package includes accommodation (on a twin-sharing basis), airport transfers, breakfast, land transport, all excursions and sightseeing entrance fees, porterage and an English-speaking guide. International flights, visas, lunches, dinners and travel insurance are not included.
Prices start from £1,850 (Dh10,300), per person, including taxes (persianvoyages.com). Direct, return flights on Etihad from Abu Dhabi start from Dh2,535 per person, including taxes
Italy
May has been ranked as one of the best times to visit Milan due to mild temperatures and fewer tourists. But this May also marks the start of the Expo Milano 2015, situated in the centre of the city. Running until October and themed “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, the Expo will feature experts, artists, researchers and chefs from more than 140 countries, including the UAE. Each country will showcase its best inventions that aim to create healthy, safe and sufficient food for all. Etihad has also teamed up with Expo Milano 2015 and Alitalia, making it easier for visitors to book both tickets and get there. Those visiting the Italian city during the Expo can explore a variety of events, including a number of exhibitions focusing on foodstuffs like rice and coffee, and themed areas including Food: Rituals Since 1851.
Prices for Expo Milano 2015 tickets start from €32 (Dh133) per person, per day, including taxes (expo2015.org/it). Prices for direct return flights on Etihad start from Dh3,625 per person, including taxes
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
The Cockroach
(Vintage)
Ian McEwan
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
%3Cp%3EMATA%0D%3Cbr%3EArtist%3A%20M.I.A%0D%3Cbr%3ELabel%3A%20Island%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Fixtures (6pm UAE unless stated)
Saturday Bournemouth v Leicester City, Chelsea v Manchester City (8.30pm), Huddersfield v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm), Manchester United v Crystal Palace, Stoke City v Southampton, West Bromwich Albion v Watford, West Ham United v Swansea City
Sunday Arsenal v Brighton (3pm), Everton v Burnley (5.15pm), Newcastle United v Liverpool (6.30pm)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
What should do investors do now?
What does the S&P 500's new all-time high mean for the average investor?
Should I be euphoric?
No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.
So what happened?
It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.
"The panic in the fourth quarter was based mostly on fears," says Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "The fundamentals have mostly held up, while the fears have gone away and the fears were based mostly on emotion."
Should I buy? Should I sell?
Maybe. It depends on what your long-term investment plan is. The best advice is usually the same no matter the day — determine your financial goals, make a plan to reach them and stick to it.
"I would encourage (investors) not to overreact to highs, just as I would encourage them not to overreact to the lows of December," Mr Schutte says.
All the same, there are some situations in which you should consider taking action. If you think you can't live through another low like last year, the time to get out is now. If the balance of assets in your portfolio is out of whack thanks to the rise of the stock market, make adjustments. And if you need your money in the next five to 10 years, it shouldn't be in stocks anyhow. But for most people, it's also a good time to just leave things be.
Resist the urge to abandon the diversification of your portfolio, Mr Schutte cautions. It may be tempting to shed other investments that aren't performing as well, such as some international stocks, but diversification is designed to help steady your performance over time.
Will the rally last?
No one knows for sure. But David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, expects the US market could move up 5 per cent to 7 per cent more over the next nine to 12 months, provided the Fed doesn't raise rates and earnings growth exceeds current expectations. We are in a late cycle market, a period when US equities have historically done very well, but volatility also rises, he says.
"This phase can last six months to several years, but it's important clients remain invested and not try to prematurely position for a contraction of the market," Mr Bailin says. "Doing so would risk missing out on important portfolio returns."
match info
Southampton 0
Arsenal 2 (Nketiah 20', Willock 87')
Red card: Jack Stephens (Southampton)
Man of the match: Rob Holding (Arsenal)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
