• A traditional mask dances during the Festimasq, the Festival des Masques in Pouni, Sanguie province, on March 30, 2024. To the jerky rhythm of drums and flutes, hundreds of people parade in Pouni, a rural commune in Burkina Faso, wearing large colorful masks: in this country undermined by jihadist violence, these mystical objects of transmission must now call for peace. (Photo by FANNY NOARO-KABRÉ / AFP)
    A traditional mask dances during the Festimasq, the Festival des Masques in Pouni, Sanguie province, on March 30, 2024. To the jerky rhythm of drums and flutes, hundreds of people parade in Pouni, a rural commune in Burkina Faso, wearing large colorful masks: in this country undermined by jihadist violence, these mystical objects of transmission must now call for peace. (Photo by FANNY NOARO-KABRÉ / AFP)
  • Candles and flowers placed in front of Viertola School in tribute to victims in Vantaa after a 12-year-old opened fire. AFP
    Candles and flowers placed in front of Viertola School in tribute to victims in Vantaa after a 12-year-old opened fire. AFP
  • Firefighters rest after battling a fire that broke out at the Masquerade nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey. Getty Images
    Firefighters rest after battling a fire that broke out at the Masquerade nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey. Getty Images
  • Muslims pray on Laylat Al Qadr (Night of Power), one of the holiest nights during Ramadan, at the shrine of Imam Musa Al Kadhim, Baghdad. AFP
    Muslims pray on Laylat Al Qadr (Night of Power), one of the holiest nights during Ramadan, at the shrine of Imam Musa Al Kadhim, Baghdad. AFP
  • Porters scramble to board a passenger ship at the Perak seaport in Surabaya as people flock to their hometowns ahead of Eid Al Fitr. AFP
    Porters scramble to board a passenger ship at the Perak seaport in Surabaya as people flock to their hometowns ahead of Eid Al Fitr. AFP
  • Tourists from Switzerland look at the purple-coloured water of the Gipsbruchweiher pond in Fuessen, southern Germany. AFP
    Tourists from Switzerland look at the purple-coloured water of the Gipsbruchweiher pond in Fuessen, southern Germany. AFP
  • A shoe street seller uses her phone as she waits for customers in Hanoi. AFP
    A shoe street seller uses her phone as she waits for customers in Hanoi. AFP
  • A Hindu devotee at the Chobar Machhindranath temple in Kirtipur on the outskirts of Kathmandu. AFP
    A Hindu devotee at the Chobar Machhindranath temple in Kirtipur on the outskirts of Kathmandu. AFP
  • US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reacts at a joint press conference with the French Foreign Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris. Reuters
    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reacts at a joint press conference with the French Foreign Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris. Reuters
  • People cut a fence for a group of migrants from South and Central America to enter into the US from, in El Paso, Texas. Reuters
    People cut a fence for a group of migrants from South and Central America to enter into the US from, in El Paso, Texas. Reuters
  • A fighting cock shakes off water from his head after his owner gave him a bath to cool him down during a hot morning in Quezon city, Philippines. AP
    A fighting cock shakes off water from his head after his owner gave him a bath to cool him down during a hot morning in Quezon city, Philippines. AP
  • Kashmiri Muslims offer afternoon prayers inside the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir. EPA
    Kashmiri Muslims offer afternoon prayers inside the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir. EPA
  • A health worker releases mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacteria, which are expected to block the spread of dengue fever, in Rio de Janeiro. Reuters
    A health worker releases mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacteria, which are expected to block the spread of dengue fever, in Rio de Janeiro. Reuters

Today's best photos: From traditional dancing in Burkina Faso to fighting dengue fever


  • English
  • Arabic

More from The National:

Tuesday's best photos: From a fire in Manila to a climate protest in The Hague

Monday's best photos: From new ANA graduates in Tokyo to preparation in Marseille

Today's best photos: From a jousting tournament to King Charles attending Easter service

Saturday's best photos: From penitents in Quito to taking a dip in Manila Bay

Friday's best photos: From a salt canyon in Ethiopia to Yas Bay in Abu Dhabi

Thursday's best photos: From surfing at Bells Beach to training birds in Beijing

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%3Cp%3E1.%20Protracted%20but%20less%20intense%20war%20(60%25%20likelihood)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E2.%20Negotiated%20end%20to%20the%20conflict%20(30%25)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E3.%20Russia%20seizes%20more%20territory%20(20%25)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E4.%20Ukraine%20pushes%20Russia%20back%20(10%25)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EForecast%20by%20Economist%20Intelligence%20Unit%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Squad for first two ODIs

Kohli (c), Rohit, Dhawan, Rayudu, Pandey, Dhoni (wk), Pant, Jadeja, Chahal, Kuldeep, Khaleel, Shami, Thakur, Rahul.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Tuesday results:

  • Singapore bt Malaysia by 29 runs
  • UAE bt Oman by 13 runs
  • Hong Kong bt Nepal by 3 wickets

Final:
Thursday, UAE v Hong Kong

'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'

Director:Michael Lehmann

Stars:Kristen Bell

Rating: 1/5

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

UAE Team Emirates

Valerio Conti (ITA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Davide Formolo (ITA)
Fernando Gaviria (COL)
Sebastian Molano (COL)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Diego Ulissi (ITAS)

Things Heard & Seen

Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton

2/5

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%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Tim%20Mielants%3Cbr%3ECast%3A%20Cillian%20Murphy%2C%20Emily%20Watson%2C%20Eileen%20Walsh%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50

Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)

How to invest in gold

Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.

A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).

Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.

Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”

Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”

Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”

By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.

You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.

You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.

The%20new%20Turing%20Test
%3Cp%3EThe%20Coffee%20Test%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EA%20machine%20is%20required%20to%20enter%20an%20average%20American%20home%20and%20figure%20out%20how%20to%20make%20coffee%3A%20find%20the%20coffee%20machine%2C%20find%20the%20coffee%2C%20add%20water%2C%20find%20a%20mug%20and%20brew%20the%20coffee%20by%20pushing%20the%20proper%20buttons.%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EProposed%20by%20Steve%20Wozniak%2C%20Apple%20co-founder%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Abaya trends

The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

Company profile

Company name: Suraasa

Started: 2018

Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker

Based: India, UAE and the UK

Industry: EdTech

Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding

Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE central contracts

Full time contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid

Part time contracts

Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

Bio

Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: April 03, 2024, 2:33 PM