New luxury train from Tibet to China
Travellers wanting to see Tibet and remote parts of China in complete comfort can book a new train service starting next month. The Tibet & China Rail Discovery journey uses the Shangri-La Express Private Train to travel from Lhasa in Tibet to Urumqui in the northern Chinese province of Xinjiang. The trip includes five nights hotel accommodation including three nights in Lhasa, and six nights aboard the train. Tickets cost £8,995 (Dh43,780) per person, not including international flights, through Golden Eagle Luxury Trains (www.goldeneagleluxurytrains.com). Air Arabia (www.airarabia.com) flies direct from Sharjah to Urumqi, home to a large Muslim Uighur population.
First Stone Town food festival in Zanzibar
Stone Town, the old part of Zanzibar City, will hold its first food festival next month. The event is designed to showcase the Tanzanian city's unique culinary traditions and will take place in hotels, restaurants and street food carts across the city from October 13 to 16 this year. Specially created menus will cost from 5,000 (Dh8) to 38,000 (Dh64) Tanzanian shillings and there will also be music performances and art exhibitions. Participating venues include Emerson hotels, 6 Degrees South, Africa House, Jafferji House & Spa, Ocean Grill, Taperia Wine & Tapas, Emerson on Hurumzi, La Taverna, the Mizingani Seafront Hotel, Kisiwa House, Monsoon Restaurant, Jafferji House & Spa Stone Town Cafe, Taarab at DoubleTree by Hilton, Beyt Al Salam and the Park Hyatt Zanzibar. For more information visit the Stone Town Food Festival Facebook page.
New Trump hotel in Washington, DC
The hotel group belonging to the US presidential candidate Donald Trump opened a hotel in Washington, DC this week. The Trump International Hotel Washington, DC has 263 rooms, including the 6,300-square-foot Trump Townhouse, which the company claims is the city's largest hotel suite. The hotel occupies the grand Old Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue, which dates from 1899 and incorporates a large clock tower. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and has undergone a three-year renovation costing US$200 million (Dh734.5m) . Rooms currently cost from $820 (Dh3,000) per night including taxes (www.trumphotels.com).
Yellow fever certificate valid for life
The World Health Organisation has announced that yellow fever vaccination certificates, required by travellers from affected areas, mainly in Africa and Central and South America, to many unaffected countries around the world, now have a lifetime validity. Previously, the certificate was only valid for 10 years. The WHO (www.who.int) has stated that existing certificates will automatically be deemed to have lifetime validity and that travellers who have already been vaccinated against the mosquito-borne disease do not need to be re-vaccinated.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5