A photograph from the exhibition UAE – Contrast of Time. Courtesy Art Couture
A photograph from the exhibition UAE – Contrast of Time. Courtesy Art Couture
A photograph from the exhibition UAE – Contrast of Time. Courtesy Art Couture
A photograph from the exhibition UAE – Contrast of Time. Courtesy Art Couture

Five things to do today: see the exhibition Contrasts of Time and get a two-for-one massage deal at The Cure


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  • Arabic

SEE the last days of the exhibition UAE – Contrast of Time, in which the UAE Goodwill Photographers bring to light the past, present and the future of this nation. Expect nostalgia, humour and a sense of pride all captured on camera by budding and experienced photographers. 10am to 11pm, daily, Art Couture, Al Badia Golf Course by InterContinental, Dubai, 04 601 0101, www.artcoutureuae.com

VIEW the exhibition Gentle. The artist Jonathan Gent presents a series of paintings on wooden boards reflecting his impressions of the Mediterranean and his time spent in Dubai in 2008. The images are visual poems that offer a wry insight into human complexity. From 10am to 6pm, XVA Gallery, Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, Bur Dubai, 04 353 5383, www.xvagallery.com

RELAX with a two-for-one offer on all massages at The Cure beauty and wellness lounge, including back, Swedish, sports, hot-stone and prenatal. Buy one massage during January and use the second one immediately or at a later date. Green Community, 050 882 4600, or Dubai Media City, 04 391 6485, www.thecure.ae

ATTEND a screening of the French film Sport de Filles, about a talented horse rider who pursues her obsession of having a horse of her own to take to the top. Enjoy lounging on giant beanbags and munch on popcorn and hot dogs. The film, presented by Alliance Française Dubai, is in French with English subtitles. From 8.30pm, free entry, Wafi Pyramids Rooftop Gardens, Dubai, RSVP at info@afdubai.org

JOIN the book club Kutub Bilarabi, which focuses on books written by Arab authors and published with English translations. The group meets tonight to discuss the book The Attack by the Algerian author Yasmina Khadra. 050 327 2748, 050 180 4041 or kutubbilarabi@gmail.com, www.tinyurl.com/kutubbilarabi

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

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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.

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

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

Rating: 4/5

 

if you go

The flights

Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com

Seeing the games

Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com

 

Staying there

Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com

 

Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo 

 Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua

 Based: Dubai, UAE

 Number of employees: 28

 Sector: Financial services

 Investment: $9.5m

 Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. 

 
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

50-man Royal Rumble

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho

John Cena v Triple H

Matches to be announced

WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended

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How to improve Arabic reading in early years

One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient

The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers

Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades

Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic

First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations

Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades

Improve the appearance of textbooks

Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings

Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught

Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar

Reading List

Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:

Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung

How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever

Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays

How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets