“We’re going to travel better.” That's what many optimists said back in the early days of the pandemic, when countries had sealed their borders, airline fleets were grounded and virus-hit cruise liners struggled to disembark passengers.
Fast forward to 2023 and the idea of "revenge travel" — holidaying as a way of making up for lost opportunities during the pandemic — coupled with buoyant growth forecasts for the tourism industry, despite a looming worldwide recession, might suggest that the idea was little more than a short-lived fantasy.
But perhaps not.
While the phrase revenge travel conjures up negative connotations, tourists having more money to spend on holidays could result in a greater willingness to invest in sustainable travel experiences.
On the other side of the coin, many destinations are bolstering their responsible offerings, keen to put lessons learnt during the Covid-19 crisis into action.
A great example is the tiny western Pacific island of Palau — a place that's long been a champion of sustainable travel. The archipelago has introduced the world's first "good traveller" initiative. The Ol'au Palau scheme gives tourists exclusive experiences and access to new places based not on how much they spend, but on how they engage with the environment and local culture during their trip.
For travellers keen to explore more destinations that won't trouble their conscience, these 10 destinations offer opportunities to travel better this year.
1. Menorca, Spain
The island of Menorca is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a designated Unesco Biosphere Reserve this year and the easternmost of Spain’s Balearic Islands continues to champion travelling better.
Unlike its rowdier siblings, Ibiza and Majorca, Menorca has long prided itself on its breathtaking natural attributes. More than 40 per cent of the island is protected.
Towards the end of last year, the Balearic Islands announced a new $60-million sustainable tourism initiative that will result in all hotels and guesthouses installing water-saving devices, limiting the use of paper and plastic, optimising electricity use and switching from oil to natural energy sources. The plan also champions the use of locally sourced food, with seafood from the surrounding Mediterranean Sea becoming traceable under the new law.
Travellers looking to explore the island can try Pura Aventura’s new inn-to-inn, self-guided walking tour along Menorca's unspoilt north coast. Specialising in sustainable holidays away from the crowds, Pura's trip takes in some of the region's best landscapes, over the course of nine days. Meandering along the finest sections of the 185km Cami de Cavalls 360º, it gives visitors the chance to explore the sun-soaked island paradise while meeting local hosts and learning more about the region's culture and traditions.
2. Kandy, Sri Lanka
Emerging from a tumultuous 2022 that paired the global pandemic with a full-blown economic and political crisis, Sri Lanka is ready to welcome visitors again, with a new sustainable hiking trail on its books.
The Pekoe Trail is a 22-day, 300km network of trails that winds through Sri Lanka's tea country. Funded by the European Union and USAID, the project has been 10 years in the making. Officially set to launch in June this year, sections of the trail are already open for tourists keen to get a head start.
Starting in Kandy, the trail crosses over seven valleys, the country’s eastern hills and some of its most dramatic terrain. Designed as a thread that connects many of the region’s highlights, it takes in spots such as Adam's Peak, Lipton Seat, the Nine Arch Bridge and Adisham Hall, but also opens up many as-yet undiscovered areas to travellers.
“Like the Camino de Santiago, the Inca Trail, the Appalachian Trail, the Transcaucasian Trail, the Milford Track, the Sunshine Coast Trail, Red Sea Mountain Trail and so many others, we want this walking journey to be a space for exchange between people and a riveting source of storytelling,” says Miguel Cunat, heritage trail adviser for the Pekoe Trail.
As well as giving visitors the chance to immerse themselves in nature, the trail is also designed to promote the diverse cultural and natural heritage of the region and encourage its preservation by benefiting local communities. Guests can book to stay at unique accommodations such as Haldummulla Estate, AMBA organic farm and forest reserve and Camellia Hills in Dickoya.
3. Palestine
Following the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020, many airlines have launched new flights to Israel — the easiest hub for getting into Palestine — boosting tourism to the country.
Tour operators can arrange transfers from Tel Aviv to Palestine and there's an abundance of historical, religious and cultural sites waiting to be discovered. Palestine's small size doesn't mean it is one-dimensional — travellers can experience a whole range of landscapes, from farmed valleys to mountain peaks, even on a short trip.
Tourists exploring Israel can make their trips more sustainable by including stops in Palestine on their itineraries to help fund equal distribution across the land. The Palestinian Initiative for Responsible Tourism encourages tourists to visit both destinations, to give people in each place the chance to share their culture and tell their own stories in an effort to foster tolerance and greater understanding.
There's plenty to see and do in Palestine, with a range of community tourism projects, hiking trails and biking adventures on offer. The Siraj Centre has been operating for more than 18 years and has a wide range of responsible tourism programmes on offer. One such trip, taking place in March this year, is the Nativity Trail, a multi-day hike traversing Palestine and featuring homestays, cultural sites and more.
Starting in the Palestinian city of Nazareth, the tour takes in places such as Mount Tabor, Nablus, Bethlehem, Awarta and the Dead Sea. It passes pine-covered forests, winds onwards to Al Auja Spring, one of the largest water sources in the Jordan Valley, and includes a visit to Far'a refugee camp, where travellers will have dinner with local families living in the camp.
During a trip to Palestine, travellers can also stay in The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, a boutique hotel designed by British street artist Banksy. Boasting "the worst view in the world", it overlooks the towering wall that greets visitors driving from Israel to the West Bank and has nightly piano recitals featuring exclusive arrangements from Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzales. Later this year, the hotel will host a month-long exhibition titled Imagine Freedom, where guests can see works from young Palestinian artists around the world.
4. New South Wales, Australia
After battling some of the world’s toughest Covid-19 restrictions, Australia is fully open to tourists again, with several new sustainable travel initiatives in place.
The introduction of a scorecard programme from Ecotourism Australia and Tourism Australia lets hotels, tour operators, restaurants and other businesses complete official assessments to show how well they're doing when it comes to their environmental, cultural and socio-economic impact, as well as giving travellers transparent information to help them make responsible bookings.
In Sydney, enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience on the water with Tribal Warrior. On Sydney's only First Nations-owned and operated Aboriginal cultural cruise, passengers can hear the stories of Australia's native people and learn the Aboriginal names and significance of local landmarks.
Travellers keen to learn more about that history can head to Mungo National Park in New South Wales — a place thought to be home to the oldest culture on earth after the discovery of the Aboriginal Mungo Lady and Mungo Man remains there.
Australian Wildlife Journeys has a citizen science trip in the national park that lets travellers get hands-on when it comes to sustainable travel — helping to erase the impact of climate change and feral species intrusion on biodiversity in the park.
From spotting emus to counting seeds, logging daily wildlife spots and contributing to the Koala Clancy Foundation, which plants trees to create new habitats for the furry creatures, this is an easy way for travellers to leave Australia a little bit better off than when they arrived.
5. Azores, Portugal
Dubbed the Hawaii of Europe, Azores and its nine islands are known for their pristine surroundings, whale-watching opportunities and natural hot springs.
The temperate mid-North Atlantic Portuguese territory has long championed sustainable tourism — four of the islands are Unesco biosphere reserves. It was also the first archipelago in the world to be certified as a sustainable tourism destination by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
For this year, the country’s tourism strategy centres around conservation and biodiversity protection. The islands are also the latest addition to the Kuoni Europe collection for 2023.
The luxury operator has added several accommodation options on the islands to its itineraries, including the Santa Barbara Eco-Beach Resort, which is all about wellness and eco-tourism, The Shipyard Angra in the main city of Terceira Island, which has been created out of an old warehouse, and the Zenite Boutique Hotel & Spa, where guests can bed-down in a meticulously restored 18th-century building in the heart of a Unesco-listed town.
6. The Okavango Delta, Botswana
Known as one of the world’s greatest safari destinations, Botswana is precious about its wild spaces, with almost 40 per cent of the country officially earmarked as protected land. Authorities also carefully monitor the number of tourists allowed to visit each year, limiting them to prevent overtourism. This means visitors can expect crowd-free safaris in some of the world’s most pristine wetlands and prairies.
The Botswana Tourism Organisation also has super strict rules regarding lodges and camps, all of which must be deconstructable within 24 hours and removable without a trace. Following these rules and opening in June is North Island Okavango by Natural Selection, an exclusive retreat made up of only three tents on a private island in northern Botswana.
Surrounded by floodplains, open savanna and forests, the 100 per cent solar-powered lodge in the Okavango Delta is one of the best places in the entire country for wildlife lovers. Guests staying at the luxury hideaway can head out on traditional mokoro safaris — sitting in wooden dugout canoes similar to those that the local people once used as a principal form of transport. Silently meandering along reed-lined waterways and lily-filled channels, travellers can come face to face with buffalo, hippos, crocodiles and more.
Natural Selection also offers visits to a nearby village — a good way to see how the lodge and others like it are driving community tourism, and there’s the option to spend time with the resort’s conservation partners to find out more about wildlife conservation in this southern African nation.
7. Gothenburg and West Sweden
It’s perhaps no great surprise that Sweden’s second-largest city makes it to this list of places to travel better. The west-coast port city has topped the Global Destinations Sustainability Index since 2016 and more than 95 per cent of its hotels are eco-certified.
This summer is a good time to visit as Gothenburg is finally celebrating its 400-year anniversary — after initial plans in 2021 were cancelled due to the pandemic. There’s a whole schedule of festivals, workshops and events taking place to mark the occasion, including plans to transform some of the city’s public spaces into an open-air exhibition under the tag Prototyping Gothenburg.
Set along a walking path that stretches from Frihamnen — a new neighbourhood in the city’s old shipbuilding port — through the centre and towards historic parts of the city, it reflects Gothenburg’s development from foundation to the present and highlights initiatives in place throughout the region that are actively accelerating sustainable change.
Once you’ve explored the city, head out to the West Coast Way where there are hundreds of islands and islets to be discovered. Getting there is easy — Sweden’s public transport system is exceptionally efficient — both in terms of timekeeping and sustainability.
Catch the ferry to the car-free island of Styrso — only 45 minutes from the city — where sandy beaches, walking paths, a snorkelling trail and cosy cafes await. Or go farther afield to Hono, where family-friendly bike trails and harbour seal-watching trips are on offer. Adventurers can also opt to hike the 71km walking trail between Gothenburg and Alingsas, which promises four days of undulating countryside, wild swimming spots and restaurants where the focus is on authentic west Swedish delicacies.
8. Bhutan
Nestled among the Himalayas, remote Bhutan kept its borders tightly sealed for more than two years during the pandemic, only easing restrictions in September. With the reopening came a new sustainable tourism strategy, focusing on climate-friendly experiences and carbon-neutral tourism.
Long known for its "high value, low impact" approach to tourism, the mountain kingdom’s sustainable development fee for most travellers has been increased to $200 per adult per day. Some of Bhutan’s most famous sites — including the Tiger’s Nest Monastery and Punakha Dzong — also charge entry fees now. All this means trips to the already exclusive destination are even more expensive, so over-tourism isn’t something Bhutan needs to worry about.
For those who do have the funds, Bhutan guarantees unique cultural insights, crowd-free temples and uninterrupted access to ancient treasures.
The country’s restored, historic, 400km Trans-Bhutan Trail is a must-do. Having reopened for the first time in six decades last year, this trail was used by pilgrims, armies and traders for thousands of years and, until the 1960s, was the only way to travel across the country. A member of the World Trails Network Sustainability Committee, its enhancement is billed as a sign of respect for Bhutan's ancestors and a way to bring economic benefit to the remote communities along its way.
The non-profit Trans-Bhutan Trail organisation offers a host of sustainable tours that explore the route, with all funds either going back into its upkeep or to the communities who call it home. New for this year are a women’s adventure tour led by female Bhutanese guides, a 100km mountain biking homestay adventure and a challenging 35-night end-to-end hike.
9. New Mexico, US
Blessed with mountain peaks, hot springs and an abundance of natural landmarks, the state of New Mexico in south-west US easily lives up to its nickname, the Land of Enchantment.
High elevations, low populations and a dry climate mean it is brimming with "dark sky destinations" where travellers can try stargazing — an experience that is both sacred and spiritual for New Mexico’s indigenous people. The state is home to 23 pueblos, tribes and nations, and travel company Heritage Inspirations is offering several new tours this year to allow travellers to find out more about life in the region before it became part of the US.
On the radar for the year are trips to the Chaco Canyon — an international dark sky park that’s home to the biggest set of ancient Native American ruins north of Mexico — and a stargazing glamping experience in Unesco-listed Taos, the northernmost of New Mexico’s pueblos.
In popular Santa Fe, continue discovering ancient secrets with a stay at Hotel Santa Fe, the city’s only Native American-owned hotel. Operating for more than 25 years, it offers a tradition-centric retreat in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains that celebrates the culture and spirit of the Pueblo people. It’s also home to a multimillion-dollar art gallery, depicting the Picurius Pueblo story.
In New Mexico’s south, travellers looking for a conservation-focused stay can spend a night at the recently opened Hacienda inside Ted Turner’s 145,687-hectare Armendaris property in the Chihuahuan desert. Best known as the media mogul who founded CNN and Jane Fonda’s ex-husband, Turner is also a conservationist and owns three ranches across New Mexico, designed to give visitors a unique appreciation for nature.
10. Belfast, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s capital earns its spot on this list of places to travel better after extensive efforts to transform itself into one of the world’s greenest and most sustainable destinations.
Initiatives such as certifying nearly 70 per cent of its hotels as sustainable, along with plans to plant a million native trees across the city earned it eighth place in the 2022 Global Destination Sustainability Index.
On the River Lagan, Titanic Belfast is one place where travellers can visit conscience-free — it was the first business in the country to win a green tourism award.
The angular-shaped building sits at the site where the Titanic was built and gives visitors an immersive, state-of-the-art look at the creation of the world’s most famous ocean liner. Closed for a multimillion-dollar refurbishment, it will reopen in late February with a new experience called The Pursuit of Dreams, highlighting the city’s maritime heritage.
Sustainably minded travellers looking for a place to lay their head will be excited to learn that room2 Belfast will welcome guests in spring. Run by the same company that launched the world's first net-zero carbon hotel in London in 2021 — the unique "hometel" concept brings 175 sustainably designed rooms, green energy and its zero waste concept to Northern Ireland for the first time.
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
SUZUME
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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
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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.
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
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Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
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What is a portfolio stress test?
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What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
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How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
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Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
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
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SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.
2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
FORSPOKEN
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Starfield
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Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
