DUBAI , UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Nov 18 , 2015 : Umair Ali of UAE playing during the cricket match between UAE vs Hong Kong at ICC Academy Oval at Dubai Sports City in Dubai. ( Pawan Singh / The National ) For Sports Stock. Story by Paul Radley. ID Number : 50851 *** Local Caption *** PS1811- UAE CRICKET01.jpg
DUBAI , UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Nov 18 , 2015 : Umair Ali of UAE playing during the cricket match between UAE vs Hong Kong at ICC Academy Oval at Dubai Sports City in Dubai. ( Pawan Singh / The National ) For Sports Stock. Story by Paul Radley. ID Number : 50851 *** Local Caption *** PS1811- UAE CRICKET01.jpg
DUBAI , UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Nov 18 , 2015 : Umair Ali of UAE playing during the cricket match between UAE vs Hong Kong at ICC Academy Oval at Dubai Sports City in Dubai. ( Pawan Singh / The National ) For Sports Stock. Story by Paul Radley. ID Number : 50851 *** Local Caption *** PS1811- UAE CRICKET01.jpg
DUBAI , UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Nov 18 , 2015 : Umair Ali of UAE playing during the cricket match between UAE vs Hong Kong at ICC Academy Oval at Dubai Sports City in Dubai. ( Pawan Singh / The Nationa

Umair Ali Khan hopes newborn twins are his 'good luck charms' as he targets UAE comeback


Paul Radley
  • English
  • Arabic

When Umair Ali Khan took four wickets in four balls on Day 2 of the Emirates D10, it was the first time he had achieved that particular feat in his cricket career.

He has, though, become used to dealing in multiples just lately. Last month, he became a father to twins.

Now he is hoping his sons, Mohsin and Marwan, will be the “good luck charms” that help fuel his return to the UAE national team for the first time in five years.

The 34-year-old all-rounder played two one-day internationals and three T20s in 2015. The UAE were in the midst of a slump at the time, and he suffered in the fallout.

Despite being a regular at the top end of the domestic game, he has not been called for national duty since.

The Fujairah resident is hoping to catch the eye of the selectors via the new T10 competition, which is being played at the ICC Academy in Dubai.

He has made the perfect start in doing so, taking 4-6 in two overs to inspire Bukhatir XI to success over Team Abu Dhabi on the second day of the competition.

“This tournament is very important for me if I am going to make it back into the UAE team,” Umair said.

________________

Emirates D10 kicks off with a thriller

  • ECB Blues' Chirag Suri bats during the opening match of the Emirates D10 tournament against Dubai Pulse Secure (DPS) at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    ECB Blues' Chirag Suri bats during the opening match of the Emirates D10 tournament against Dubai Pulse Secure (DPS) at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • ECB Blues' Vriitya Aravind hits a four during the match against DPS in the Emirates D10 tournament on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    ECB Blues' Vriitya Aravind hits a four during the match against DPS in the Emirates D10 tournament on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • DPS' Fahad Tariq takes the wicket of ECB Blues' Rohan Mustafa on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    DPS' Fahad Tariq takes the wicket of ECB Blues' Rohan Mustafa on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Abu Dhabi team coach Dougie Brown at the Emirates D10 on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Abu Dhabi team coach Dougie Brown at the Emirates D10 on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • The umpire signals a six during the match between the ECB Blues and DPS in the Emirates D10 on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The umpire signals a six during the match between the ECB Blues and DPS in the Emirates D10 on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • ECB Blues' Vriitya Aravind hits a six on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    ECB Blues' Vriitya Aravind hits a six on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • ECB Blues' Vriitya Aravind top-scored with 83 against Dubai at the Emirates D10. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    ECB Blues' Vriitya Aravind top-scored with 83 against Dubai at the Emirates D10. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • ECB Blues' Vriitya Aravind plays a ramp shot in Dubai on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    ECB Blues' Vriitya Aravind plays a ramp shot in Dubai on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Vriitya Aravind celebrates his 50. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Vriitya Aravind celebrates his 50. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • ECB Blues' Vriitya Aravind against Dubai Pulse Secure. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    ECB Blues' Vriitya Aravind against Dubai Pulse Secure. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • ECB Blues' Muhammad Usman is bowled by Shafaqat Ali on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    ECB Blues' Muhammad Usman is bowled by Shafaqat Ali on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • ECB Blues' Muhammad Usman is bowled by Dubai's Shafaqat Ali. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    ECB Blues' Muhammad Usman is bowled by Dubai's Shafaqat Ali. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • ECB Blues' Chirag Suri walks off after being caught on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    ECB Blues' Chirag Suri walks off after being caught on Friday. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Dubai's Fahad Tariq after taking the wicket of ECB Blues' Rohan Mustafa. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Dubai's Fahad Tariq after taking the wicket of ECB Blues' Rohan Mustafa. Chris Whiteoak / The National

________________

“It is five years since I played in the T20 World Cup Qualifier [in Scotland] and after that I have been out of the team.

“I don’t know why because I have been performing well in domestic cricket. Inshallah, I hope I can come back strongly in the team again.

“I have never given up. Day by day I have been trying to do my best, and have been waiting for my chance.”

Although he was born in Karachi, Umair has lived most of his life in Fujairah, where his father worked.

“My father was working in Fujairah for 45 years, but five months ago he died,” Umair said.

“Then, Mashallah, I became a father with twins last month, and my son Mohsin is named after my father.

“Everyone – my brother, my colleagues, my family – they have all been supporting me and are happy for me.

“I am so happy to become a father. I am very lucky, and I hope they will be my good luck charms.”

Renjth Mani took three wickets and then hit 29 in nine balls as Bukhatir XI beat Team Abu Dhabi by eight wickets on Saturday.

Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

Kanye%20West
%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • 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

Super Rugby play-offs

Quarter-finals

  • Hurricanes 35, ACT 16
  • Crusaders 17, Highlanders 0
  • Lions 23, Sharks 21
  • Chiefs 17, Stormers 11

Semi-finals

Saturday, July 29

  • Crusaders v Chiefs, 12.35pm (UAE)
  • Lions v Hurricanes, 4.30pm
Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

Quick%20facts
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EStorstockholms%20Lokaltrafik%20(SL)%20offers%20free%20guided%20tours%20of%20art%20in%20the%20metro%20and%20at%20the%20stations%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20tours%20are%20free%20of%20charge%3B%20all%20you%20need%20is%20a%20valid%20SL%20ticket%2C%20for%20which%20a%20single%20journey%20(valid%20for%2075%20minutes)%20costs%2039%20Swedish%20krone%20(%243.75)%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ETravel%20cards%20for%20unlimited%20journeys%20are%20priced%20at%20165%20Swedish%20krone%20for%2024%20hours%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAvoid%20rush%20hour%20%E2%80%93%20between%209.30%20am%20and%204.30%20pm%20%E2%80%93%20to%20explore%20the%20artwork%20at%20leisure%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A

Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics

 

57%20Seconds
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rusty%20Cundieff%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJosh%20Hutcherson%2C%20Morgan%20Freeman%2C%20Greg%20Germann%2C%20Lovie%20Simone%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
TOUR DE FRANCE INFO

Dates: July 1-23
Distance: 3,540km
Stages: 21
Number of teams: 22
Number of riders: 198

What is the FNC?

The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning. 
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. 
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
 

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%20
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQureos%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E33%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESoftware%20and%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5