There is no scarcity of things to do this week, from a film festival in Dubai to a winter pop-up in Al Ain.
There are also countless ways to keep fit as the Dubai Fitness Challenge continues. In neighbouring Abu Dhabi, a run supporting World Diabetes Day takes place this week.
Here, The National rounds up seven things to do around the Emirates from Monday to Sunday.
Monday
Visit Al Muwaiji in Al Ain where the Le Pre winter pop-up is being held.
With a mystical winter theme and set against the backdrop of the historical neighbourhood, the pop-up features several home-grown food and beverage stalls, including Popup Burger, Eight Pizza and Matera. There are also live cultural performances each day.
Guests can order dishes such as aubergine sliders, quinoa tabbouleh, prawn risotto, spicy brisket pizza and chocolate bueno.
Until March 31, 4pm-midnight on weekdays, 4pm-1am on weekends; free; Al Muwaiji, Al Ain; apres.ae
Tuesday
Film buffs can head to a screening of Where the Wind Blows or Back Home as part of the Hong Kong Film Festival at Cinema Akil.
Directed by Philip Yung, Where the Wind Blows follows two crooked police officers in 1960s Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Nate Ki's Back Home is a horror-thriller that tells the story of Heung Wing, a man who leaves his native Hong Kong for Canada to escape his ability to see ghosts.
Hong Kong Film Festival runs until Thursday and has seven films showing, spanning genres such as martial arts and romance.
Until Thursday, 7pm and 10pm Dh56.5 per film; Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz; cinemaakil.com
Wednesday
Dust off your neon-coloured running shoes and take part in the Run in the Dark event at Dubai Design District.
Participants will be given a flashing armband and can choose to complete either a 5km or 10km walk or run. Those who finish will receive a medal. Registration ends on Tuesday.
The event coincides with the Dubai Fitness Challenge where the entire city is transformed into an open-air exercise hub.
Wednesday, 8pm; from Dh169.39; Dubai Design District; premieronline.com
Thursday
Fans of horology, or just casual watch aficionados, can check out Dubai Watch Week at in the Dubai International Financial Centre.
Leading watchmakers including Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Hublot and Bulgari will have kiosks showcasing their products. There will also be a collectors' lounge for international and regional watch enthusiasts to mingle under one roof.
The five-day event will also feature several masterclasses and workshops for industry artisans. One workshop will turn vintage Norwegian silver spoons into wearable art, while another will focus on making an Emirati safeefah leather bracelet.
The event, as well as the workshops, are all free to attend.
Until November 20; 10am-9pm; free; The Gate, the DIFC; dubaiwatchweek.com
Friday
Relive the Abba era at Bla Bla Dubai with a tribute concert by the Australian cover band Bjorn Again.
Bjorn Again have had a career spanning more than 30 years. They have performed more than 5,000 times in more than 75 countries. They pay homage to the Swedish pop group with quirky choreography and colourful costumes. Of course, the highlight of the show is the music, with hit songs such as Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and Thank You for the Music.
Friday, doors open at 5pm; from Dh240; Bla Bla Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Residence; ticketmaster.ae
Saturday
Head to Roxy Cinemas in Dubai Hills Mall for a unique wellness morning session.
Open for guests aged 12 and above, the event begins with a one-hour hatha yoga session led by Sarah Madinah. It focuses on gentle stretches, mindful movements and breathwork, while a live pianist sets the mood.
It is followed by a breathwork masterclass by Manish Pole. After the two activities, guests can enjoy a spread of breakfast, followed by sound healing with Liv Prescott.
The sessions will be held inside Roxy Cinema theatres, making use of technology such as Dolby surround sound.
Saturday, 8am-noon; Dh349 per person; Dubai Hills Mall; theroxycinemas.com
Sunday
Get active for Yas Bay Run held in support of World Diabetes Day, which is marked on Tuesday.
Participants can choose from three distances 2.5km, 5km or 10km with the starting point for the races at Etihad Arena.
Children aged five or above can join the shortest route, while those eight and older can attempt the 5km run. The longest route is open for those aged 12 and older.
Sunday, from 6.45am; from Dh65; Yas Bay, Yas Island; my.raceresult.com
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.
'Nope'
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
ICC T20 Team of 2021
Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi
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