Ramadan festivities continue across the UAE this week.
From lavish iftars and suhoor tents to family-friendly events, The National rounds up seven things to do from April 10 to 16.
Monday
Tashas Cafe in Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi, has been turned into a majlis by luxury fashion brand Fendi with a Ramadan menu.
Dishes include spinach and feta hummus, sumac and pomegranate salad and Levant chicken. Fendi-branded desserts, such as sticky toffee date cake; and rose and pistachio Eton mess, are also on the menu. Mango, vanilla and date smoothies and apricot nectar, all served with Fendi-branded ice, are available.
Traditional Arabic music will play in the background.
Until April 23; 9am-1am; prices vary; Marsa Al Bateen Marina, Abu Dhabi; 02 445 0890
Tuesday
Experts and locals are sharing stories about Al Ain's history, social practices and people at Al Jahili Fort on Tuesday.
This particular session, which will be conducted in Arabic, will focus on the UAE's second-tallest mountain Jebel Hafeet and its surroundings.
Tuesday; 10pm-midnight; free; Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan St, Al Jahili, Al Ain; 03 711 8311
Wednesday
The plaza terrace of Jumeirah Emirates Towers has been transformed into a traditional Arabian village, displaying artworks from Emirati and other Arab artists.
The market-style Ramadan District also has several food counters serving bite-size dishes, retail shops, live entertainment and a dedicated zone for children. With a view of the Museum of the Future, the location of the pop-up is one of the most Instagram-worthy Ramadan events in the city.
Until April 20; 4pm-2am; free; plaza terrace Jumeirah Emirates Towers; 050 971 6258
Thursday
The second Ramadan "editathon" by the Emirates Literature Foundation and Wikimedians of the UAE User Group is taking place on Thursday at Mist DXB in Business Bay.
The event is a group-editing workshop that aims to enrich Wikipedia with Arabic and English articles highlighting important aspects of Ramadan in the Arab world. Participants can learn about the platform's best practices, as well as work with experts to become Wikipedia contributors and editors.
Refreshments will be provided, followed by a suhoor in the evening. Registration is required.
Thursday; 9.30am-11.30pm; free; Business Bay; event.elfdubai.org
Friday
Visit the Expo Centre Sharjah for the 40th annual Ramadan Nights.
The festival packs in entertainment programmes and cultural activities, alongside a shopping experience with more than 10,000 products from 500 brands, including homeware, toys and clothes.
Visitors can expect up to 75 per cent discounts and other deals on-site.
Until April 21; 5pm-1am; Dh5 adults, free for children under 12; Sharjah Expo Centre; ramadan-nights.com
Saturday
Al Naeem Mall in Ras Al Khaimah is hosting a Ramadan night market.
The family affair offers harbour views, entertainment, retail and dining experiences. Several activities for children are also lined up, including meet-and-greets with mascots, storytelling sessions, balloon bending and a PlayStation area. Little ones can also join workshops, such as cupcake decorating and slime making.
Until May 1; 4pm-midnight; free entry; Al Naeem Mall; 07 2275000
Sunday
For a contemporary way of celebrating Ramadan, head to Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi for the last day of its Ramadan Arcade.
As the name suggests, the event features several arcades and activities for visitors, from traditional tabletop games to virtual reality. The newly opened Pixoul Gaming has teamed up with the venue to bring the event to life.
There are three installations by local artists, as well as several pop-ups such as photo booths and artist studios. There are also food stalls located at the Garden and the Plaza.
Until April 16; 9pm-2am; Dh50 for a day pass; Saadiyat Island
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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
FIXTURES
Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney
Note: d/n = day/night
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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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