The future looks and drives very familiar



Sitting in the middle of the Adnec car park was a large Mercedes display and a row of cars, all being shined and cleaned by a team of workers under the early morning haze. But this was no ordinary show of the German firm's usual wares; they weren't meant to appeal to the UAE's petrolheads, simply because these cars don't need a drop of petrol; they are electric powered.

The Smart fortwo Electric Drive and the A-Class E-Cell are both plug-in electric cars, already undergoing real-world testing in Europe. And apart from a showy paintjob, they look and feel just like their petrol-powered siblings, both inside and out.

"We want the electric car to look like a normal car," said Dr Andreas Jost, the manager of Mercedes' electric drivetrain controls. "They don't need to look like a bubble car from the future, our customers aren't interested in that. And they need to be as satisfying to drive as a normal car."

Mercedes was offering short drives to the public to show exactly how normal these cars are. And, for the most part, they really are like anything you'd expect to find on the roads here in the UAE.

Apart from, of course, the silence. Getting behind the wheel of the E-Cell, I turned the key to on and got nothing. "It's ready to go," said my guide in the passenger seat. I softly pressed the accelerator and the little four-door slowly got under way, with little more than a quiet whine from the motor. It was a very eerie feeling.

But the car accelerates normally, and amid the quick traffic of Khaleej al Arabi, it didn't disappoint. The soft whine is replaced with normal tyre and wind noise, and I soon forgot that I was driving an EV. It handles well, bobbing in and out of lanes with ease, it brakes normally and it is as comfortable as any Mercedes, along with room for four adults and cargo. And, with 50kW (67hp), it's not exactly scintillating, but it's enough to get around in a very reasonable fashion.

It's only as we got back onto the smaller streets and came to a traffic signal that I remembered again what I was driving. The E-Cell slowed and glided silently to a stop at the red light, sitting as if the engine was turned off. Of course, there is no engine. And, with full torque coming on instantly (as with all electric motors), it pulled away from the light easily. With an ideal range of 255km, this is a car that would be more than enough for city commuting. (The Smart has a range of 120km)

Jürgen Buhmann, in charge of international testing of Mercedes's electric cars, explained why the company is only leasing 500 of the E-Cells and 1,200 of the Smart electrics.

"We are only leasing them and not selling them because we don't know yet how they will be in five or six years, so we don't want our customers to be dissatisfied. We want to keep perfect service for our customers."

With a car and an attitude like that, I only wish I had the opportunity to drive one more often here.

Cricket World Cup League Two

Teams

Oman, UAE, Namibia

Al Amerat, Muscat

 

Results

Oman beat UAE by five wickets

UAE beat Namibia by eight runs

Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs

UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets

 

Fixtures

Saturday January 11 - UAE v Oman

Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia

Stats at a glance:

Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)

Number in service: 6

Complement 191 (space for up to 285)

Top speed: over 32 knots

Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles

Length 152.4 m

Displacement: 8,700 tonnes

Beam:   21.2 m

Draught: 7.4 m

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
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.
Lewis Hamilton in 2018

Australia 2nd; Bahrain 3rd; China 4th; Azerbaijan 1st; Spain 1st; Monaco 3rd; Canada 5th; France 1st; Austria DNF; Britain 2nd; Germany 1st; Hungary 1st; Belgium 2nd; Italy 1st; Singapore 1st; Russia 1st; Japan 1st; United States 3rd; Mexico 4th

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
Autumn international scores

Saturday, November 24

Italy 3-66 New Zealand
Scotland 14-9 Argentina
England 37-18 Australia

On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE

Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
  • Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
  • Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
  • Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.