Wonderful, wonderful technology
I probably don’t say it enough. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever said it before, but God bless Google. God bless its search engine, God bless its Maps, and especially God bless its Translate. In Russia, it has become my best friend, more valuable than my credit card, more reassuring than the heavier-than-usual police presence and more comforting than the bed I spent the first six nights in and then missed for the next seven. For the uninitiated or the criminally lazy (I realise I straddle both), Translate has been a lifesaver.
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More from 2018 World Cup:
WATCH: Lionel Messi sits out training as Argentina prepare for clash with France
Day 15 updates: Germany reaction, Maradona 'angry', England take on Belgium
Podcast: Messi finally comes through as World Cup knockout stages take shape
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Hosts with the most
The first week in Moscow was spent at an apartment owned by architects Marina and Ivan, and Dodo, their sausage dog. I was collected at the train station, given a rail card and handed a detailed list of things to do in Moscow, including recommended restaurants. There were house rules, too, such as no loud music, shouting or loud disputes after 10pm. All arguments to take place early doors, then. The best bit, though? Marina left in the fridge a pot of her homemade jam. A sure-fire hit should the architect business go belly up.
Party on Nikolskaya street
The first few days felt distinctly non-World Cup. Accreditation was collected at the Luzhniki Stadium (at the second time of asking – Moscow’s maze-like metro system scuppered plans the previous day), but other than that, Russia didn’t seem in the mood for the greatest tournament on Earth. Then I ventured to Nikolskaya Street. There, it was a mini World Cup of fans, with supporters from Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt singing, dancing and generally having a good time, mixing and merrymaking. And all right next to Red Square. Finally, the World Cup had arrived.
Trains, trains and, well, trains
You might have heard, but Russia is a pretty big place. So vast, in fact, that travel to all 11 host cities this month has been almost impossible. But still, Fifa have provided free travel on public transport to fans and media. That means lengthy train journeys between Moscow, St Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and the highlight: a delightful 25-hour trek from Volgograd. With four to a cabin, your travel companions can make or break the trip. Thankfully, then, I had a like-minded Scottish journalist and Khalid and Walid, two affable, football-loving Egyptians. And only one snored throughout the night. Result.
Happy Birthday, Mo
OK, it wasn’t the greatest World Cup for Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian King didn’t exactly reign in Russia, but that didn't quell the love and affection sent his way by the thousands of compatriots who journeyed to Russia. Salah shirts are everywhere, from replica Egypt jerseys to homemade incarnations. For those who couldn’t get a ticket for the opener against Uruguay, Moscow Fan Fest became the place to be. Salah didn’t play, but on his birthday, and the first day of Eid, a large and loud band of Egyptians serenaded him in both English and Arabic. Lovely.
La, la, la, Messi... Maradona
The best thing about a World Cup? The gathering of people from all around the world. The colour, the camaraderie. Mexico’s fans have been amazing, Peru’s and Brazil’s too. Yet Argentines occupying the promenade in Nizhny Novgorod will take some beating. They sang, they shouted, they hoisted locals on their shoulders. The ditty celebrating both Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi (tough life) has provided my soundtrack to the tournament. In truth, it’s too catchy. Whistling it subconsciously on a metro full of Brazilians is probably not advised.
National pride stirs the soul
Little wonder Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar and Marcelo and whoever else you’ve spotted as the camera pans past brim from ear-to-ear. It doesn’t shock that Javier Hernandez was almost moved to tears. Being swept along on top of your national anthem as thousands belt it back at you must offer one of the greatest life-affirming experiences for a footballer. Mexico in the Luzhniki before their clash with Germany? Spine-tingling. Argentina or Iceland at the Spartak Stadium? Eardrum piercing. Russia and Egypt at the Krestovsky? Heart-pounding. If this was simply the group stage, image the final. Just imagine.
White, blue and red night in Saint Petersburg
The White Nights in Saint Petersburg are famed. After a few hours of darkness, the sun begins to rise, lighting up this beautiful city. The sight of Russians in its centre, waving giants flags and blaring car horns as the sun came up following a 3-1 victory against Egypt that sealed a last-16 spot, will be difficult to forget. Not that you’d want to. The Russians’ hospitality has been memorable, too. From jam-making hosts in Moscow, to the everywhere and enviously energetic volunteers, to passers-by eager to help the blatantly lost and confused. Russia has been a treat.
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.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The Good Liar
Starring: Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen
Directed by: Bill Condon
Three out of five stars
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 0 Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 55')
Man of the Match Allan (Everton)
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
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UAE FIXTURES
October 18 – 7.30pm, UAE v Oman, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 19 – 7.30pm, UAE v Ireland, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 21 – 2.10pm, UAE v Hong Kong, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 22 – 2.10pm, UAE v Jersey, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 24 – 10am, UAE v Nigeria, Abu Dhabi Cricket Oval 1
October 27 – 7.30pm, UAE v Canada, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 29 – 2.10pm, Playoff 1 – A2 v B3; 7.30pm, Playoff 2 – A3 v B2, at Dubai International Stadium.
October 30 – 2.10pm, Playoff 3 – A4 v Loser of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Playoff 4 – B4 v Loser of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 1 – 2.10pm, Semifinal 1 – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Semifinal 2 – A1 v Winner of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 2 – 2.10pm, Third place Playoff – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Final, at Dubai International Stadium
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THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law