With everyone staying home in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, there's a chance you've found the days are slowly starting to blur into one and that the weekend now feels very much the same as the working week.
One way to combat this is to set up your own virtual diary, packed with events and activities taking place throughout the week. Thankfully, there's a plethora of online activities, classes and entertainment on offer from providers across the UAE. Here are just a few ideas, with at least a couple of ideas for every single day of the week.
Sunday
9am: Tune in for story time
Helen Farmer, a mum-of-two and radio host at Dubai Eye, reads a storybook aloud at 9am every day of the week on her IGTV. Tune in with the children to listen to a new tale each day – it’s super informal and Farmer’s own little ones usually make an appearance in the videos.
Free, @themothershipdxb
Evening, exact time TBC: Watch a performance
As of Sunday, April 12, Live from HQ’s daily music and comedy performances will feature UAE performances and region-specific content. Run by global entertainment company BookMyShow and Indian talent management firm Big Bad Wolf, the local shows fall under three categories: performance arts, comedy and music.
The initial bill is being curated by independent performing arts venue The Junction, which is based in Dubai's Alserkal Avenue, and will feature daily 40-minute poetry readings, storytelling, monologues and more in English, Arabic, French, Hindi and Marathi. Acts will include Shakespearean monologues in A Bit o'the Bard and a Writing to Heal workshop.
Free, www.bookmyshow.com
Monday
6.45pm: Get on the mat for Jivamukti yoga
Yogini Dina Ghandour specialises in Jivamukti yoga. If you have not tried it before, you’re in for a treat. Expect a grounding but energising form of yoga that combines movement and breathing with chanting and meditation. Live classes via Zoom run for 75 minutes and they are also available on Wednesdays at the same time.
Dh55, www.app.acuityscheduling.com
8pm: Watch an indie movie
Cinema Akil, the UAE's independent cinema house, has launched a new service, letting you access some of the world's greatest movies in your own home. They've partnered with on-demand streaming platform Mubi to provide a catalogue of films, which we can watch for free for the next three months. Each month, there will be 20 different indie films to steam and you can temporarily download them to your mobile.
Free for 90 days, mubi.com/cinemaakil
Tuesday
4pm: Catch up on sessions from Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
If you feel like you missed out on some key sessions during this year’s Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, you’re in luck, as the Emirates Literature Foundation is released one new session on its YouTube channel every week. The series began with a panel talk featuring explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington, which was made available on Tuesday, April 7.
Free, EmiratesLitFest YouTube channel or elfdubai.org
Wednesday
5pm: Midweek chuckles
Dubomedy comedy club is streaming premieres of stand-up shows filmed live in Dubai last year. The streams feature comics Sundeep Fernandes, Mish’al Eskander and Liz Bains, and are available every Wednesday throughout April with links going live at noon and accessible for 24 hours.
Free, www.dubomedy.com
6pm: Waga Wednesdays
Every Wednesday, Wagamama chefs will be live-streaming on Instagram from the kitchen as they take viewers through a one-hour lesson in recreating one of their popular pan-Asian recipes. The sessions will feature dishes such as katsu curry, gyoza and yaki soba. Even better, the best attempt from participants gets a free main course delivered to their door. There's also a child-friendly session from 3pm to 4pm.
Free, @wagamamauae
Thursday
10am: Tour the Louvre
Download Louvre Abu Dhabi’s #Museumfromhome app to get access to in-depth stories highlighting artworks and architecture at the museum. With more than 150 audio sessions, you can follow a different curator's tour every week. The app is available in Arabic, English, French, Mandarin, Russian, German and Hindi.
Free, www.louvreabudhabi.ae
1pm: Take a break from homeschooling
Fitness facility The Studio in Abu Dhabi is hosting one-hour live-streamed classes via Zoom and Thursday afternoons are dedicated to parents. The class titled Take a Break from Homeschooling Hatha is being led by instructor Amanda Mattar and invites frazzled mums and dads to follow the poses and asanas, and to wind down after a hectic week.
From Dh35, www.thestudiouae.com
8pm: Improve your vocal technique with a Dubai soprano
With the present pandemic halting vocal classes and group performances, it is now up to singers, both pro and novice, to self-maintain their technique.
Austrian singer Bettina Schweiger, who resides in Dubai, aims to ease that burden by providing vocal tips through her “Quarantutorial” classes, which run on her Instagram account on Monday and Thursdays at 8pm.
The soprano, with a four octave vocal range, has worked with the likes of Placido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa and Angelika Kirchschlager and will show aspiring opera singers effective ways to look after their voice while indoors.
Free, www.instagram.com/bettina_soprano
Friday
Noon: Friday brunch with McGettigan's
For some people, regular weekends are typically about brunch and the folks at McGettigan's JLT are going out of their way to make sure that doesn't need to change just because we're staying home. Order your brunch package on Friday from noon until 5pm and you'll get a doorstop delivery packed with starters, mains and desserts so you can brunch at home. Log on to the McGettigan's Facebook Live and InstagramTV pages for live music to party along to.
Dh149 for two people, available noon-5pm, www.mcgettigans.com
3pm: Check out the FamilyFest Brunch entertainment
Caesars Resort in Dubai is bringing its brunch to our screens as of Friday, April 10. The family-friendly entertainment begins at 3pm, with an exclusive show from Magic Phil, as he takes over the FamilyFest Brunch Instagram page. On Friday, April 17, it's the turn of a bunch of circus performers to entertain everyone at home. The following week, a performer will sing popular songs from Frozen.
8pm: Movie nights with Vox
Upgrade your Friday night television viewing by streaming a classic movie and ordering some of your favourite cinema snacks to go with it. Vox Cinemas is now offering snack deliveries from select cinemas across Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai. Check out your usual delivery app to see if you are in the catchment area, then file in the popcorn, nacho and hot dog orders.
Price depends on orders, www.uae.voxcinemas.com
Saturday
10.30am: Read books with dogs
Every Saturday, Reading Dogs has been organising InstaLive Story Time with Chip the Frenchie. The next session is on April 11 at 10.30am. Head to their Instagram page to listen to two stories read by Chip the dog and Gina the human: Julia Donaldson's The Troll, a laugh-out-loud pirate adventure; and My Pet Star, a story about a little girl who finds a lost star and cares for it like she would a beloved pet.
Free, @readingdogsuae
7.30pm: Check your lotto numbers
The UAE’s first lottery draw is scheduled for Saturday, April 18. Buy your ‘collectable’ online or from Choithrams supermarkets, then tune in every week at 7.30pm to see if your luck is in. This new weekly raffle offers a jackpot of Dh35 million and the results will be live-streamed every Saturday at the same time.
Dh35 per entry, www.emiratesloto.com
7:30pm: End the weekend with laughs
Even if your lottery numbers don't come up, you can still end the weekend on a high by switching over to Big Fish TV Titters. This weekly online stream from the UAE comedy club promises to entertain with a mixture of throwback comedy classics and some exciting new gaffs. Catch it on Facebook or Instagram.
Free, @bigfishcomedyme
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWest%20Asia%20Premiership%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Bahrain%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Premiership%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Jebel%20Ali%20Dragons%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Division%201%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Sharks%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Harlequins%20II%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Division%202%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%20III%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Sharks%20II%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDubai%20Sevens%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
The specs: 2017 Dodge Viper SRT
Price, base / as tested Dh460,000
Engine 8.4L V10
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 645hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 813Nm @ 5,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 16.8L / 100km
Tour de France
When: July 7-29
UAE Team Emirates:
Dan Martin, Alexander Kristoff, Darwin Atapuma, Marco Marcato, Kristijan Durasek, Oliviero Troia, Roberto Ferrari and Rory Sutherland
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EBattery%3A%2060kW%20lithium-ion%20phosphate%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20Up%20to%20201bhp%3Cbr%3E0%20to%20100kph%3A%207.3%20seconds%3Cbr%3ERange%3A%20418km%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh149%2C900%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
BRAZIL%20SQUAD
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEducatly%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohmmed%20El%20Sonbaty%2C%20Joan%20Manuel%20and%20Abdelrahman%20Ayman%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEducation%20technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%242%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEnterprise%20Ireland%2C%20Egypt%20venture%2C%20Plus%20VC%2C%20HBAN%2C%20Falak%20Startups%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Vikram%20Vedha
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Gayatri%2C%20Pushkar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hrithik%20Roshan%2C%20Saif%20Ali%20Khan%2C%20Radhika%20Apte%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Marital status: Separated with two young daughters
Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
INDIA SQUADS
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Norway v Spain, Saturday, 10.45pm, UAE
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
Results
Male 51kg Round 1
Dias Karmanov (KAZ) beat Mabrook Rasea (YEM) by points 2-1.
Male 54kg Round 1
Yelaman Sayassatov (KAZ) beat Chen Huang (TPE) TKO Round 1; Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) beat Fahad Anakkayi (IND) RSC Round 2; Qais Al Jamal (JOR) beat Man Long Ng (MAC) by points 3-0; Ayad Albadr (IRQ) beat Yashar Yazdani (IRI) by points 2-1.
Male 57kg Round 1
Natthawat Suzikong (THA) beat Abdallah Ondash (LBN) by points 3-0; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Ahmed Al Jubainawi (IRQ) by points 2-1; Hamed Almatari (YEM) beat Nasser Al Rugheeb (KUW) by points 3-0; Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) beat Yu Xi Chen (TPE) by points 3-0.
Men 86kg Round 1
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) beat Mohammad Al Khatib (PAL) by points 2-1
Men 63.5kg Round 1
Noureddin Samir (UAE) beat Polash Chakma (BAN) RSC Round 1.
Female 45kg quarter finals
Narges Mohammadpour (IRI) beat Yuen Wai Chan (HKG) by points.
Female 48kg quarter finals
Szi Ki Wong (HKG) beat Dimple Vaishnav (IND) RSC round 2; Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Nastaran Soori (IRI) by points; Shabnam Hussain Zada (AFG) beat Tzu Ching Lin (TPE) by points.
Female 57kg quarter finals
Nguyen Thi Nguyet (VIE) beat Anisha Shetty (IND) by points 2-1; Areeya Sahot (THA) beat Dana Al Mayyal (KUW) RSC Round 1; Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Ching Yee Tsang (HKG) by points 3-0.
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
India Test squad
Virat Kohli (c), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
