Faisal Al Ketbi celebrates a milestone when he competes in the 10th Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship at the Mubadala Arena from April 16-28.
The UAE national team captain and the first Emirati black belt holder in jiu-jitsu holds the distinction as the only fighter to have competed every year in the World Pro since it was first staged in 2009.
“I have had lot of success, some great moments and some sad moments as well. But when I look back, it has been an amazing and incredibly beautiful journey,” Al Ketbi said.
“It’s difficult to single out a good moment because every time I won it was a good moment for me. Likewise, it’s the same when I lost, it’s very hard for me to get over the disappointments.”
A moment Al Ketbi will cherish all his life was when Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, got up from his seat to embrace him after watching him win the double-gold in the brown belt.
“It was in 2014 where I won both my weight and the absolute class,” Al Ketbi said.
“I wish more good moments will come, but for His Highness to watch my fight and then come up to embrace and congratulate me in front of an audience and thousands of TV viewers is something that will live in my memory forever.”
Al Ketbi, who turns 31 next month, began as a blue belt in the World Pro and remained undefeated in that category for three years. He enjoyed success in the purple and brown belts, all in all winning 11 gold medals, two silver and a bronze in the last nine years.
However, a gold has eluded him in the black belt division. His first appearance in the black belt in the World Pro ended in the third round in 2015. The following year, he suffered a dislocated finger after reaching the semi-finals. He reached the final in 2017 only to go down to Brazilian Claudia Calasans by points 6-0.
Al Ketbi aims to go one better this time around.
“It has been a lot of blood and sweat for me on this long journey, but I have been enjoying every moment,” said Al Ketbi, who shed a few kilos from his last competition in the Grand Slam London in March to fight in the 85kg weight division in the World Pro.
“Usually I fight in the 94kg in the other competitions but in the 85kg in the World Pro. It has become easier to lose weight with the help of our dietitians and still maintain the strength and good shape.
“The challenges are high at this level with the best fighters in the world on stage. I’m prepared to take them on as always.
“My experience in the black belt is nothing compared to the others. It’s my third year and I’m aware the others have many years more than me. I have come through the ranks and know what to expect.”
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Lowdown: Where and when to watch the action
Al Ketbi has seen the Word Pro as no other, and he said there is more room for it to grow in every sphere despite it being well established as the world’s biggest and richest jiu-jitsu show.
“The sky is the limit for the World Pro,” he said. “It has drawn the highest participation this year and it’s the richest in terms of prize fund [of Dh4 million].
According to Fahad Al Shamsi, this year’s World Pro has attracted more than 9,000 participants, including over 2,500 from overseas.
“Fighters in the main events have to be successful in the qualifiers held around the world to come here and compete,” Al Ketbi said.
“That makes the World Pro as the stand-out jiu-jitsu event on the earth. Our federation has left no stones unturned to make the 10th anniversary another memorable event for the jiu-jitsu fraternity.
“This year’s World Pro is special for me because I’m as old as the championship which has given me so much. I wish I can celebrate it with a gold. I’m not guaranteed of success but I’ll do everything within my capacity to achieve it.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
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Result
UAE (S. Tagliabue 90 1') 1-2 Uzbekistan (Shokhruz Norkhonov 48', 86')
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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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
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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