InterContinental opens in Bordeaux
The French port city of Bordeaux has welcomed its first InterContinental property. The Le Grand Hotel – located in what was previously the Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux & Spa – features 130 rooms, including 44 suites, a fitness centre and indoor pool. The property is also home to the two-storey Nuxe Spa Les Bains de Léa which houses 10 treatment rooms and a VIP room. Guests can also book in for a meal at Le Pressoir d'Argent, headed by Gordon Ramsay. Rooms cost from €293 (Dh1,176) per night, including taxes. For more information, visit www.ghbordeaux.com.
Airfares to beat your post-holiday blues
UAE residents can take advantage of special fares when they book flights with British Airways until January 18. Destinations include cities across Europe and North America. You can book a return flight to London from Dh2,457; to Rome from Dh2,384; and to Washington from Dh3,174. Travel is available until June 15. Prices are based on departures from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, per person, and include taxes. For more information, visit www.ba.com.
Small Luxury in the heart of Prague
Visitors to Prague can now book into the newly opened Boho Prague Hotel. The Boho, which opened last month, is the first Small Luxury Hotels of the World property in the Czech capital, in what was once the city's post office. The property features 57 rooms across four floors, plus a spa, gym and restaurant. The hotel is a short walk from some of the city's major landmarks, including the Powder Gate and historic quarter. Rooms cost from €143 (Dh574) per night, including taxes. For more information, visit www.slh.com.
New chalet choice in the French Alps
The Alpine Club, a boutique chalet company in St-Martin-de-Belleville in Les Trois Vallées, France, has recently opened its newest chalet. The Ecurie, once a 130-year-old Savoie stable, features two "super-king" and two twin bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom. The property retains its original roof timbers and features a high-ceilinged living room with a central fireplace, plus vintage kitchen elements, such as antique Savoie cupboards and original confiture jars. Modern touches, including contemporary sofas and coffee tables, have also been added. By car, the chalet is minutes away from the main ski lift hub at St-Martin-de-Belleville. The chalet costs from Dh6,727 per room, for a minimum of three nights, including breakfast and taxes. For more information, visit www.thealpineclub.co.uk.
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Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
STAY, DAUGHTER
Author: Yasmin Azad
Publisher: Swift Press
Available: Now
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Almouneer
Started: 2017
Founders: Dr Noha Khater and Rania Kadry
Based: Egypt
Number of staff: 120
Investment: Bootstrapped, with support from Insead and Egyptian government, seed round of
$3.6 million led by Global Ventures
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech / PropTech
Initial investment: $650,000
Current number of staff: 35
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Various institutional investors and notable angel investors (500 MENA, Shurooq, Mada, Seedstar, Tricap)
Fireball
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
