• Real Madrid's players attend a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
    Real Madrid's players attend a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
  • Real Madrid's players attend a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
    Real Madrid's players attend a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
  • Real Madrid's Toni Kroos attends a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
    Real Madrid's Toni Kroos attends a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
  • epa07238698 Real Madrid's Luka Modric (C-L) and Gareth Bale (2-R) attend a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi during the FIFA Club World Cup 2018, United Arab Emirates, 18 December 2018. The three times winner of FIFA Club World Cup Real Madrid will face Asian Champions League winner Kashima Antlers in their semifinal soccer match on 19 December 2018. EPA/ALI HAIDER
    epa07238698 Real Madrid's Luka Modric (C-L) and Gareth Bale (2-R) attend a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi during the FIFA Club World Cup 2018, United Arab Emirates, 18 December 2018. The three times winner of FIFA Club World Cup Real Madrid will face Asian Champions League winner Kashima Antlers in their semifinal soccer match on 19 December 2018. EPA/ALI HAIDER
  • Real Madrid's players attend a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
    Real Madrid's players attend a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
  • Santiago Solari (C), head coach of Real Madrid , attends a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
    Santiago Solari (C), head coach of Real Madrid , attends a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
  • Real Madrid's Karim Benzema (C) attends a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
    Real Madrid's Karim Benzema (C) attends a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
  • Marcelo of Real Madrid attends a press conference at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
    Marcelo of Real Madrid attends a press conference at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
  • Kashima Antlers's players attend a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
    Kashima Antlers's players attend a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
  • Real Madrid's Toni Kroos (second left) attends a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA
    Real Madrid's Toni Kroos (second left) attends a training session at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi. EPA

Real Madrid strike a pose ahead of Fifa Club World Cup semi-final in Abu Dhabi


Ian Oxborrow
  • English
  • Arabic

Real Madrid are in the mood to defend their Club World Cup crown.

The European champions took time out from training at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi to strike a pose showing that they mean business.

"We defend the greatest badge in the world. Ready for tomorrow!" captain Sergio Ramos posted on his Instagram account next to a picture of him with his fists raised surrounded by teammates including Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale.

Having held training on Monday at NYUAD on Saadiyat Island, Real took the opportunity last night to reacquaint themselves with the Zayed Sports City pitch ahead of this evening's semi-final against Asian Champions League winners Kashima Antlers of Japan.

The two clubs met in the final in 2016 in Yokohama when Madrid ran out 4-2 winners after extra-time.

The winner of Wednesday's match will meet Al Ain in the final after they stunned the Copa Libertadores champions River Plate 5-4 on penalties after 2-2 draw at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.

Real fans will be hoping to see Bale in action after he missed the 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend due to injury. Benzema, who scored the only goal in that match, was forced off through injury. Both took part in training, which included the regularly seen rondo exercise which is essentially a game of keep-ball.

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Read more:

Santiago Solari: Real Madrid wary of Kashima Antlers 'challenge' in Fifa Club World Cup semi-final

Real Madrid in Abu Dhabi: Ramos and Benzema take to social media while Isco shows off skills at NYUAD

Al Ain celebrate Club World Cup semi-final win over River Plate

MATCH INFO

Newcastle United 2 (Willems 25', Shelvey 88')

Manchester City 2 (Sterling 22', De Bruyne 82')

Basquiat in Abu Dhabi

One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. 

The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier. 

It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.  

“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. 

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October

La Mer lowdown

La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
 

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Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

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Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

Hotel Silence
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Pushkin Press

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEric%20Barbier%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYoussef%20Hajdi%2C%20Nadia%20Benzakour%2C%20Yasser%20Drief%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Stats at a glance:

Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)

Number in service: 6

Complement 191 (space for up to 285)

Top speed: over 32 knots

Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles

Length 152.4 m

Displacement: 8,700 tonnes

Beam:   21.2 m

Draught: 7.4 m

The specs

Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Kerb weight: 1580kg

Price: From Dh750k

On sale: via special order

Company%20Profile
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RESULTS

Main card

Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision

Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision

Lightweight 60kg:  Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3

Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision

Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision

Light heavyweight 81.4kg:  Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

INDIA SQUAD

Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
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  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
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%3Cp%3EThe%20Royal%20Navy%20raid%20is%20the%20latest%20in%20a%20series%20of%20successful%20interceptions%20of%20drugs%20and%20arms%20in%20the%20Gulf%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMay%2011%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUS%20coastguard%20recovers%20%2480%20million%20heroin%20haul%20from%20fishing%20vessel%20in%20Gulf%20of%20Oman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMay%208%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20US%20coastguard%20vessel%20USCGC%20Glen%20Harris%20seizes%20heroin%20and%20meth%20worth%20more%20than%20%2430%20million%20from%20a%20fishing%20boat%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMarch%202%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Anti-tank%20guided%20missiles%20and%20missile%20components%20seized%20by%20HMS%20Lancaster%20from%20a%20small%20boat%20travelling%20from%20Iran%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOctober%209%2C%202022%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERoyal%20Navy%20frigate%20HMS%20Montrose%20recovers%20drugs%20worth%20%2417.8%20million%20from%20a%20dhow%20in%20Arabian%20Sea%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESeptember%2027%2C%202022%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20US%20Naval%20Forces%20Central%20Command%20reports%20a%20find%20of%202.4%20tonnes%20of%20heroin%20on%20board%20fishing%20boat%20in%20Gulf%20of%20Oman%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Power: 160hp

Torque: 385Nm

Price: Dh116,900

On sale: now