Dubai
Tasting session
Plan to celebrate International Chocolate Day at a chocolate-and-coffee pairing session hosted by Mirzam Chocolate and Encounter Coffee Roasters. The sensory journey includes an explanation of the chocolate-making process, origins, taste notes, smells and flavours of the Mirzam chocolate and Encounter Coffee varieties.
Friday, 9am; noon; 2pm, Dh140, Encounter Coffee Roasters, The Sum of Us, Burj Al Salam Building, Dubai, register at hello@encountercoffeeroasters.com
Abu Dhabi
4th of July
Celebrate American Independence Day today at Stars ‘N’ Bars with a US-themed party including a quiz, live band, fun games and a DJ spinning top American hits. Plus, tuck into steaks, burgers and foot-long hot dogs from the outdoor BBQ.
Today, live music from 10pm to 1am, Stars ‘N’ Bars, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, 02 565 0101, www.starsnbars.ae
Abu Dhabi
Kids’ camp
Children can take part in the indoor summer camp at The Mall at World Trade Center Abu Dhabi, where they can enjoy a range of activities that promote physical and mental well-being, including sports and art classes presented by KoolKidz, Primal Gym and The Art Hub.
July 9 to August 17, 8.30am to 1.30pm; 8.30am to 5.30pm, from Dh125 per day; Dh520 per week, The Mall at World Trade Center, Abu Dhabi, www.facebook.com/wtcad
Abu Dhabi
Fitness venue
St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort offers a variety of fitness options and water-sport activities throughout the summer. Enjoy state-of-the-art facilities including a 3,500-square-metre gym, a 25-metre pool, three outdoor pools and squash and tennis courts. Group classes are available, as well as swimming and tennis lessons and access to a private beach. Activities include kayaking and paddle-boarding.
Open 8.30am to 11am and 6pm to 8pm for group classes; Dh65 per group class for members; Dh85 per group class for non-members, packages available at various prices for lessons and activities, St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, 02 498 8777, athleticclub.saadiyat@stregis.com
Abu Dhabi
Art workshop
Take part in a free drop-in art session as part of the exhibition The Creative Act: Performance, Process, Presence that introduces participants to various media and ideas. The session focuses on building a community art space, taking inspiration from the work of the artists Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian.
Friday, 2pm to 6pm, free, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Fitness lesson
Zayed Sports City is giving away free lessons with fitness packages this summer. Choose between private and semi-private tennis and ice skating lesson packages and get a bonus lesson.
Valid until August 31, from Dh640 for eight semi-private ice skating lessons and Dh1,500 for 10 semi-private tennis lessons, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, 02 403 4200, zscacademy@zsc.ae
Dubai
Sports venue
Stay fit this summer at the UAE's largest indoor summer sports venue, Dubai Sports World, and take part in a variety of sports, tournaments, academies and activites for fitness enthusiasts and beginners alike, including football, badminton, cricket, indoor cycling, running track, table tennis, volleyball, group fitness classes, basketball, tennis, rugby and a state-of-the-art Technogym.
Daily until September 2, free entry, Dubai Sports World, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, www.dubaisportsworld.ae
Dubai
Performance
The documentary-style musical Jersey Boys tells the story of the 1960s rock group Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, whose harmonies were unlike anything anyone had ever heard, while their off-stage relationships were anything but perfect.
October 11 to October 14, 8pm daily plus 3pm on October 13, from Dh250, Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai, Dubai, www.dubaiopera.com
Dubai
Kids’ camp
Gulf Star Sports offers children aged 7 to 15 an adrenaline-fuelled summer of go-karting, laser tag, race-room simulators, billiards, video games, team games and competitions at the Kartdrome Summer Camp.
Runs until September 7, 9am to 1pm, Sundays to Thursdays, from Dh995 per week when booked two weeks in advance; regularly Dh1,150, Dubai Autodrome, Dubai, info@gulfstarsports.com, 050 429 4860
Dubai
Art exhibition
Still in Progress is an exhibition of photographs by the New York-based Moroccan artist Lalla Essaydi, whose works are the result of a complex, performance-based process comprising painting, calligraphy, interior design, costume design, stage directing and photography.
Daily until August 15, 10am to 7pm, Saturdays to Thursdays (closed Fridays), Leila Heller Gallery, I-87, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, 056 831 3520, www.leilahellergallery.com
SPEC SHEET: APPLE IPHONE 15 PRO MAX
Display: 6.7" Super Retina XDR OLED, 2796 x 1290, 460ppi, 120Hz, 2000 nits max, HDR, True Tone, P3, always-on
Processor: A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 8GB
Capacity: 256/512GB / 1TB
Platform: iOS 17
Main camera: Triple: 48MP main (f/1.78) + 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2) + 12MP 5x telephoto (f/2.8); 5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 10x optical zoom range, digital zoom up to 25x; Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, Portrait Lighting
Main camera video: 4K @ 24/25/30/60fps, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps, HD @ 30fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps, ProRes (4K) @ 60fps; night, time lapse, cinematic, action modes; Dolby Vision, 4K HDR
Front camera: 12MP TrueDepth (f/1.9), Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, Portrait Lighting; Animoji, Memoji
Front camera video: 4K @ 24/25/30/60fps, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps, ProRes (4K) @ 30fps; night, time lapse, cinematic, action modes; Dolby Vision, 4K HDR
Battery: 4441mAh, up to 29h video, 25h streaming video, 95h audio; fast charge to 50% in 30min (with at least 20W adaptor); MagSafe, Qi wireless charging
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC (Apple Pay), second-generation Ultra Wideband chip
Biometrics: Face ID
I/O: USB-C
Durability: IP68, water-resistant up to 6m up to 30min; dust/splash-resistant
Cards: Dual eSIM / eSIM + eSIM (US models use eSIMs only)
Colours: Black titanium, blue titanium, natural titanium, white titanium
In the box: iPhone 15 Pro Max, USB-C-to-USB-C woven cable, one Apple sticker
Price: Dh5,099 / Dh5,949 / Dh6,799
FA CUP FINAL
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Hot Seat
Director: James Cullen Bressack
Stars: Mel Gibson, Kevin Dillon, Shannen Doherty, Sam Asghari
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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.
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
Abu Dhabi GP Saturday schedule
12.30pm GP3 race (18 laps)
2pm Formula One final practice
5pm Formula One qualifying
6.40pm Formula 2 race (31 laps)
TO CATCH A KILLER
Director: Damian Szifron
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Ben Mendelsohn, Ralph Ineson
Rating: 2/5
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
RESULT
Copa del Rey, semi-final second leg
Real Madrid 0
Barcelona 3 (Suarez (50', 73' pen), Varane (69' OG)
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
