• Cellar master Sebastien Halbout carries cheese for France's record-breaking bid to create the world's largest fondue, which weighed 2,177.5kg, at Fort des Rousses. AFP
    Cellar master Sebastien Halbout carries cheese for France's record-breaking bid to create the world's largest fondue, which weighed 2,177.5kg, at Fort des Rousses. AFP
  • Mohammed Sahloul, 17, is greeted by his sister Nina after being released from an Israeli prison in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip. AP
    Mohammed Sahloul, 17, is greeted by his sister Nina after being released from an Israeli prison in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip. AP
  • An image of Pope Francis is projected on the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AFP
    An image of Pope Francis is projected on the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AFP
  • Shoppers in the Asakusa area of the Japanese capital, with the 634-metre Tokyo Skytree in the background. AFP
    Shoppers in the Asakusa area of the Japanese capital, with the 634-metre Tokyo Skytree in the background. AFP
  • UAE aid for Gaza being loaded at Al Hamriya Port in Dubai. Victor Besa /The National
    UAE aid for Gaza being loaded at Al Hamriya Port in Dubai. Victor Besa /The National
  • A soldier, who lost a leg in combat in eastern Ukraine in 2015, with a howitzer in the country's Kharkiv region, as the war with Russia rumbles on. AP
    A soldier, who lost a leg in combat in eastern Ukraine in 2015, with a howitzer in the country's Kharkiv region, as the war with Russia rumbles on. AP
  • Ruined houses in Jarjanaz, eastern Idlib, Syria, two months after the fall of the Assad regime, whose forces tore the roofs off homes to steal iron. EPA
    Ruined houses in Jarjanaz, eastern Idlib, Syria, two months after the fall of the Assad regime, whose forces tore the roofs off homes to steal iron. EPA
  • Left Party candidate Heidi Reichinnek and colleagues celebrate their results at a general election event in Berlin. EPA
    Left Party candidate Heidi Reichinnek and colleagues celebrate their results at a general election event in Berlin. EPA
  • A Venezuelan migrant who had hoped to reach the US but decided to return home due to President Donald Trump's new immigration policies, waits for a boat in Gardi Sugdub, Panama. Reuters
    A Venezuelan migrant who had hoped to reach the US but decided to return home due to President Donald Trump's new immigration policies, waits for a boat in Gardi Sugdub, Panama. Reuters
  • Spain's King Felipe VI, accompanied by Queen Letizia, after receiving an honorary degree from the University of Alcala. EPA
    Spain's King Felipe VI, accompanied by Queen Letizia, after receiving an honorary degree from the University of Alcala. EPA
  • A hummingbird feeds in a cactus garden on the outfield lawn before a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Athletics, in Surprise, Arizona. AP
    A hummingbird feeds in a cactus garden on the outfield lawn before a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Athletics, in Surprise, Arizona. AP
  • Ukrainian forces fire rockets towards Russian troops, near the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region, Ukraine. Reuters
    Ukrainian forces fire rockets towards Russian troops, near the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region, Ukraine. Reuters
  • It was worth the climb for these people standing on top of Manquehuito hill in Santiago, Chile. AP
    It was worth the climb for these people standing on top of Manquehuito hill in Santiago, Chile. AP
  • People leave toy tractors outside the National Farming Union's annual conference in London, in protest over how inheritance tax reforms could affect farmers’ families. Getty Images
    People leave toy tractors outside the National Farming Union's annual conference in London, in protest over how inheritance tax reforms could affect farmers’ families. Getty Images
  • Rescuers work at the construction site of a bridge on the Seoul-Sejong motorway after it collapsed, leaving three workers dead and five injured, in Anseong, South Korea. EPA
    Rescuers work at the construction site of a bridge on the Seoul-Sejong motorway after it collapsed, leaving three workers dead and five injured, in Anseong, South Korea. EPA
  • Former members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and police officers who allegedly surrendered to M23 rebels arrive in Goma, Congo. AP
    Former members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and police officers who allegedly surrendered to M23 rebels arrive in Goma, Congo. AP
  • Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Jack Dashwood warms up before a game against the San Diego Padres, in Peoria, Arizona. AP
    Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Jack Dashwood warms up before a game against the San Diego Padres, in Peoria, Arizona. AP
  • European leaders and officials mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at Independence Square, Kyiv. AFP
    European leaders and officials mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at Independence Square, Kyiv. AFP
  • White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks at a briefing next to TV screens displaying the word 'Victory' after a judge ruled against Associated Press. The news agency had requested the immediate restoration of access after its journalists were barred for continuing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico in coverage. Reuters
    White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks at a briefing next to TV screens displaying the word 'Victory' after a judge ruled against Associated Press. The news agency had requested the immediate restoration of access after its journalists were barred for continuing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico in coverage. Reuters
  • Israelis gather for the funeral procession of Shiri Bibas, 32, and her two children, Kfir, nine months, and Ariel, four, who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas and whose bodies were released on February 21, in Rishon Le Zion, Israel. Reuters
    Israelis gather for the funeral procession of Shiri Bibas, 32, and her two children, Kfir, nine months, and Ariel, four, who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas and whose bodies were released on February 21, in Rishon Le Zion, Israel. Reuters
  • Hindu devotees bathe at the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on Shivratri, the final day of Maha Kumbh festival, in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. AP
    Hindu devotees bathe at the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati on Shivratri, the final day of Maha Kumbh festival, in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. AP
  • The fishing village of Sakrisoya, in Norway's Lofoten islands. AFP
    The fishing village of Sakrisoya, in Norway's Lofoten islands. AFP
  • Models showcase Gucci's autumn/winter women's collection at Milan Fashion Week. AFP
    Models showcase Gucci's autumn/winter women's collection at Milan Fashion Week. AFP
  • The drivers pose for a group photograph during testing in Bahrain ahead of the new F1 season. Reuters
    The drivers pose for a group photograph during testing in Bahrain ahead of the new F1 season. Reuters
  • Luminous, an immersive light and sound show by the Luxmuralis collaboration of sculptor Peter Walker and composer David Harper, at St Paul's Cathedral in London. AFP
    Luminous, an immersive light and sound show by the Luxmuralis collaboration of sculptor Peter Walker and composer David Harper, at St Paul's Cathedral in London. AFP
  • The illuminated reflection of Jama Masjid in New Delhi, India. Reuters
    The illuminated reflection of Jama Masjid in New Delhi, India. Reuters
  • A woman photographs one of the ice caves in the 'tongue' of the Morteratsch glacier, which is melting due to climate change, in Pontresina, near Saint Moritz in eastern Switzerland. Reuters
    A woman photographs one of the ice caves in the 'tongue' of the Morteratsch glacier, which is melting due to climate change, in Pontresina, near Saint Moritz in eastern Switzerland. Reuters
  • Ramadan lights along the Corniche in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
    Ramadan lights along the Corniche in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
  • Dancers perform a folk dance during full-dress rehearsal for the upcoming Jhumur festival in Guwahati, India. AFP
    Dancers perform a folk dance during full-dress rehearsal for the upcoming Jhumur festival in Guwahati, India. AFP

Pictures of the week: From world’s largest cheese fondue to Indian folk dance Jhumur


  • English
  • Arabic

THE SPECS

Aston Martin Rapide AMR

Engine: 6.0-litre V12

Transmission: Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic

Power: 595bhp

Torque: 630Nm

Price: Dh999,563

The biog

Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology

Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India

Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur

How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993

Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters

Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo

THE NEW BATCH'S FOCUS SECTORS

AiFlux – renewables, oil and gas

DevisionX – manufacturing

Event Gates – security and manufacturing

Farmdar – agriculture

Farmin – smart cities

Greener Crop – agriculture

Ipera.ai – space digitisation

Lune Technologies – fibre-optics

Monak – delivery

NutzenTech – environment

Nybl – machine learning

Occicor – shelf management

Olymon Solutions – smart automation

Pivony – user-generated data

PowerDev – energy big data

Sav – finance

Searover – renewables

Swftbox – delivery

Trade Capital Partners – FinTech

Valorafutbol – sports and entertainment

Workfam – employee engagement

Key developments

All times UTC 4

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Final scores

18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)

- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)

-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)

-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)

-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)

-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

What is a robo-adviser?

Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.

These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.

Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.

Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
AUSTRALIA SQUAD

Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

MATCH INFO

Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')

Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)

New UK refugee system

 

  • A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
  • Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
  • A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
  • To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
  • Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
  • Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds

Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World by Michael Ignatieff
Harvard University Press

ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt

Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho

Singles match John Cena v Triple H

Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba

Europe's top EV producers
  1. Norway (63% of cars registered in 2021)
  2. Iceland (33%)
  3. Netherlands (20%)
  4. Sweden (19%)
  5. Austria (14%)
  6. Germany (14%)
  7. Denmark (13%)
  8. Switzerland (13%)
  9. United Kingdom (12%)
  10. Luxembourg (10%)

Source: VCOe 

Queen

Nicki Minaj

(Young Money/Cash Money)

ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
%3Cp%3EBy%202030%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%20aims%20to%20achieve%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2039.3%20million%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20nearly%2064%25%20up%20from%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20Dh90%20billion%20contribution%20to%20GDP%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20about%2084%25%20more%20than%20Dh49%20billion%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20178%2C000%20new%20jobs%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20bringing%20the%20total%20to%20about%20366%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2052%2C000%20hotel%20rooms%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20up%2053%25%20from%2034%2C000%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%207.2%20million%20international%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20almost%2090%25%20higher%20compared%20to%202023's%203.8%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%203.9%20international%20overnight%20hotel%20stays%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2022%25%20more%20from%203.2%20nights%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20US%20Congress%20explained
%3Cp%3E-%20Congress%20is%20one%20of%20three%20branches%20of%20the%20US%20government%2C%20and%20the%20one%20that%20creates%20the%20nation's%20federal%20laws%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20Congress%20is%20divided%20into%20two%20chambers%3A%20The%20House%20of%20Representatives%20and%20the%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%C2%A0The%20House%20is%20made%20up%20of%20435%20members%20based%20on%20a%20state's%20population.%20House%20members%20are%20up%20for%20election%20every%20two%20years%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20A%20bill%20must%20be%20approved%20by%20both%20the%20House%20and%20Senate%20before%20it%20goes%20to%20the%20president's%20desk%20for%20signature%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20A%20political%20party%20needs%20218%20seats%20to%20be%20in%20control%20of%20the%20House%20of%20Representatives%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20The%20Senate%20is%20comprised%20of%20100%20members%2C%20with%20each%20state%20receiving%20two%20senators.%20Senate%20members%20serve%20six-year%20terms%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20A%20political%20party%20needs%2051%20seats%20to%20control%20the%20Senate.%20In%20the%20case%20of%20a%2050-50%20tie%2C%20the%20party%20of%20the%20president%20controls%20the%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: February 28, 2025, 6:02 PM