Only You Madrid opening offer
Visitors to Madrid can now check in to the Only You Hotel Atocha, Madrid, which is the city's second hotel from Spanish boutique-hotel brand Only You – the other hotel is in the Chueca neighbourhood. The new designer hotel has 205 rooms across seven floors in a converted historic building near the Atocha train station. The hotel currently has an opening offer of €172.50 (Dh669) per night, including taxes. For more information, visit www.onlyyouhotels.com
Belmond reopens in Siem Reap
The luxury-travel company formerly known as Orient Express has reopened its hotel in Cambodia, the Belmond La Résidence d'Angkor in Siem Reap, following a full refurbishment. The hotel is now all suites, with fully redesigned interiors decorated with traditional hardwood furnishings and contemporary Cambodian art. There's also a new library, a saltwater swimming pool, a restaurant serving organic food and an outdoor dining space. Double rooms cost from Dh1,174 per night, including taxes. Visit www.belmond.com
New Oberoi opens its doors in India
Visitors to the north Indian city of Chandigarh can now check into the luxurious Oberoi Sukhvilas in the nearby Siswan Forest Range, which comprises more than 3,000 hectares of protected forest in the foothills of the Himalayas. A spa will open in January. Double rooms cost from 25,740 rupees (Dh1,401) per night, including taxes. For more information, visit www.oberoihotels.com
Fresh budget-hotel option in Dubai
The British budget-hotel company Premier Inn has opened its sixth property in the UAE at Dubai's Ibn Battuta Mall. The 372-room property is directly linked to the mall and close to the Metro station. Rooms are from 18 square metres and cost from Dh225 per night, including taxes. For more information, visit www.global.premierinn.com
Bigger Thai villas to cater to demand
A selection of new family-size villas opened in Phuket this week as part of the luxury Iniala Beach House resort, which opened in 2014. The new Iniala Shores villas sleep up to 12 people and are located on a private estate. Villas cost from US$1,675 (Dh6,152) per night, including taxes. For more information, visit www.iniala.com
rbehan@thenational.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
SPECS
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Company%20profile
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Honeymoonish
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The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
The%20Specs
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
