Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, with Cristiano Ronaldo and his son, Cristiano Jr, when the sports star was in Dubai over the Christmas break in 2019. Instagram/Cristiano Ronaldo
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, with Cristiano Ronaldo and his son, Cristiano Jr, when the sports star was in Dubai over the Christmas break in 2019. Instagram/Cristiano Ronaldo
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, with Cristiano Ronaldo and his son, Cristiano Jr, when the sports star was in Dubai over the Christmas break in 2019. Instagram/Cristiano Ronaldo
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, with Cristiano Ronaldo and his son, Cristiano Jr, when the sports star was in Dubai over the Christmas break in 2019. Instagram/Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo joins Sheikh Hamdan for a treadmill run in Dubai


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Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, was joined in the gym by football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, 35, is in Dubai for Sunday's Dubai International Sports Conference, where he will be one of the speakers alongside other acclaimed players Robert Lewandowski and recently retired Iker Casillas.

Ronaldo is also a contender for the Globe Soccer Awards, which take place on Sunday evening. He led the fans' voting in both the Player of the Year and Player of the Century categories.

The Juventus and Portugal forward, famed for his athletic prowess as much as his goalscoring abilities, took the chance to hit the gym for a workout while in the UAE. A short clip of the footballer running on the treadmill alongside Sheikh Hamdan was uploaded to Sheikh Hamdan's Instagram account.

Ronaldo also uploaded a photo from his time in the gym to his own Instagram account. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player is a regular visitor to Dubai and spent Christmas last year in the city, when he also was pictured with Sheikh Hamdan.

Sheikh Hamdan has often invited many of the world's top athletes to train at his gym. Ronaldo is a frequent visitor, while men's tennis No 1 Novak Djokovic and MMA superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov have also both recently trained at his facility.

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Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami

Three stars

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Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav

3.5/5

What is blockchain?

Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.

The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.

Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.

However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.

Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.

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Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

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.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

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

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

The biog

Siblings: five brothers and one sister

Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota

Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym

Favourite place: UAE

Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera

What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books

'Nope'
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Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

ACL Elite (West) - fixtures

Monday, Sept 30

Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)

Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)

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Fourth Estate

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants

OPENING FIXTURES

Saturday September 12

Crystal Palace v Southampton

Fulham v Arsenal

Liverpool v Leeds United

Tottenham v Everton

West Brom v Leicester

West Ham  v Newcastle

Monday  September 14

Brighton v Chelsea

Sheffield United v Wolves

To be rescheduled

Burnley v Manchester United

Manchester City v Aston Villa

Company Profile:

Name: The Protein Bakeshop

Date of start: 2013

Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani

Based: Dubai

Size, number of employees: 12

Funding/investors:  $400,000 (2018) 

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERobert%20Lorenz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Liam%20Neeson%2C%20Kerry%20Condon%2C%20Jack%20Gleeson%2C%20Ciaran%20Hinds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass

Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)

Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm

Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km