• The Circassian honour guards' Commander, Ayman Yacoub, and Assistant Commander, Hytham Hakho, stand with other members at the royal court in Amman, Jordan. Photos: Reuters
    The Circassian honour guards' Commander, Ayman Yacoub, and Assistant Commander, Hytham Hakho, stand with other members at the royal court in Amman, Jordan. Photos: Reuters
  • 'The roles and responsibilities of the Circassian guards revolve around the presence of his majesty, the crown prince or the king’s deputy, in royal palaces and courts', says Commander Yacoub
    'The roles and responsibilities of the Circassian guards revolve around the presence of his majesty, the crown prince or the king’s deputy, in royal palaces and courts', says Commander Yacoub
  • 'King Abdullah I was really impressed with them, he told them to remain in their areas, Amman and its suburbs, the city centre', says former commander Ghazi Kasem
    'King Abdullah I was really impressed with them, he told them to remain in their areas, Amman and its suburbs, the city centre', says former commander Ghazi Kasem
  • Mr Kasem says the king issued a decree for this group to become special royal guards in 1921
    Mr Kasem says the king issued a decree for this group to become special royal guards in 1921
  • Circassians came from the Caucasus in 1864 until 1920. They were a group of 40 soldiers who guarded Shariff Abdullah the first, says Assistant Commander Hakho
    Circassians came from the Caucasus in 1864 until 1920. They were a group of 40 soldiers who guarded Shariff Abdullah the first, says Assistant Commander Hakho
  • Assistant Commander Hakho looks on as other members train on horses at the royal court in Amman. 'Circassians were all knights and fighters so horses and swords were inevitably present', he says
    Assistant Commander Hakho looks on as other members train on horses at the royal court in Amman. 'Circassians were all knights and fighters so horses and swords were inevitably present', he says
  • A member of the Circassian honour guards fixes his hat
    A member of the Circassian honour guards fixes his hat
  • Over one hundred years later, the Circassian knights still guard Jordan's current king, the crown prince, or the king’s deputy, when they are in the royal palaces or courts. The guards mainly play a ceremonial role
    Over one hundred years later, the Circassian knights still guard Jordan's current king, the crown prince, or the king’s deputy, when they are in the royal palaces or courts. The guards mainly play a ceremonial role
  • Displaced from the Caucasus in 1864, Circassians were among the first to settle in the Jordanian capital Amma Members of the Circassian honour guards walk at the royal court in Amman
    Displaced from the Caucasus in 1864, Circassians were among the first to settle in the Jordanian capital Amma Members of the Circassian honour guards walk at the royal court in Amman
  • The guards still adhere to their ancient traditions and adorn Circassian costume and train with swords and horses
    The guards still adhere to their ancient traditions and adorn Circassian costume and train with swords and horses
  • Military training for the guards includes various forms of fighting and shooting, Hakho says
    Military training for the guards includes various forms of fighting and shooting, Hakho says
  • Groups of Circassians started settling in Jordan in the late 1800s and continued until the early 1900s, according to historians
    Groups of Circassians started settling in Jordan in the late 1800s and continued until the early 1900s, according to historians
  • The Circassian honour guard's commander Ayman Yacoub walks with other members of the formation at the royal court in Amman, Jordan January 29, 2023. REUTERS / Alaa Al Sukhni
    The Circassian honour guard's commander Ayman Yacoub walks with other members of the formation at the royal court in Amman, Jordan January 29, 2023. REUTERS / Alaa Al Sukhni
  • Members of the Circassian honour guard gesture at Jordanian members of the military at the royal court in Amman, Jordan.
    Members of the Circassian honour guard gesture at Jordanian members of the military at the royal court in Amman, Jordan.

The Circassian honour guards serving Jordan's royals


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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESplintr%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMay%202019%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammad%20AlMheiri%20and%20Badr%20AlBadr%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20and%20Riyadh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epayments%20%2F%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10%20employees%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eundisclosed%20seven-figure%20sum%20%2F%20pre-seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eseed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eangel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UK’s AI plan
  • AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
  • £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
  • £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
  • £250m to train new AI models
Command%20Z
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3ESteven%20Soderbergh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMichael%20Cera%2C%20Liev%20Schreiber%2C%20Chloe%20Radcliffe%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A03%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%20and%203.6-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20235hp%20and%20310hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E258Nm%20and%20271Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh185%2C100%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Vile

Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5

The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870

Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder

Transmission Seven-speed PDK

Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm

Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km

Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.

Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.

The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.

The alternatives

• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.

• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.

• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.

2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.

• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases -  but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
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

Profile of RentSher

Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE

Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi

Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE

Sector: Online rental marketplace

Size: 40 employees

Investment: $2 million

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

LA LIGA FIXTURES

Friday (UAE kick-off times)

Levante v Real Mallorca (12am)

Leganes v Barcelona (4pm)

Real Betis v Valencia (7pm)

Granada v Atletico Madrid (9.30pm)

Sunday

Real Madrid v Real Sociedad (12am)

Espanyol v Getafe (3pm)

Osasuna v Athletic Bilbao (5pm)

Eibar v Alaves (7pm)

Villarreal v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)

Monday

Real Valladolid v Sevilla (12am)

 

Updated: February 14, 2023, 9:12 AM