• Twenty glass cases containing miniature mannequins were auctioned off at the Ghaf Gallery to raise money for the Ewa’a Shelter for Women and Children.
    Twenty glass cases containing miniature mannequins were auctioned off at the Ghaf Gallery to raise money for the Ewa’a Shelter for Women and Children.
  • Visitors take a look at ‘Thehban’, a custom-designed miniature mannequin, at the gallery in Abu Dhabi.
    Visitors take a look at ‘Thehban’, a custom-designed miniature mannequin, at the gallery in Abu Dhabi.
  • A visitor takes a photo of ‘Nested Love’, a miniature mannequin by Sumayyah al Suwaidi at the Ghaf Gallery.
    A visitor takes a photo of ‘Nested Love’, a miniature mannequin by Sumayyah al Suwaidi at the Ghaf Gallery.
  • Noor Shamma, 28, who works in media and marketing, and has created an elegant gold dress covered in beads and pearls at the show, checks out the custom-designed miniature mannequins on display.
    Noor Shamma, 28, who works in media and marketing, and has created an elegant gold dress covered in beads and pearls at the show, checks out the custom-designed miniature mannequins on display.
  • ‘La Rose Rouge’, a custom-designed miniature mannequin, by Dimah Shamma, 16, the youngest participating artist, stands on display.
    ‘La Rose Rouge’, a custom-designed miniature mannequin, by Dimah Shamma, 16, the youngest participating artist, stands on display.
  • The mannequins at the show, which were more than 30cm in height, were dressed in beads, lace, ribbons, sequins, buttons and roses and later sold to the highest bidder.
    The mannequins at the show, which were more than 30cm in height, were dressed in beads, lace, ribbons, sequins, buttons and roses and later sold to the highest bidder.
  • Some of the more glamorous designs were made up of crystals, acrylic pieces, wood, bird’s nests and even metal spikes. The dress styles went from elegant, old-time Edwardian costumes, to bridal outfits and outrageous modern wear.
    Some of the more glamorous designs were made up of crystals, acrylic pieces, wood, bird’s nests and even metal spikes. The dress styles went from elegant, old-time Edwardian costumes, to bridal outfits and outrageous modern wear.
  • ‘Sinful Queen’, a custom-designed miniature mannequin, by Noorah Ramah, a mixed-media artist, on display at the Ghaf Gallery in Abu Dhabi.
    ‘Sinful Queen’, a custom-designed miniature mannequin, by Noorah Ramah, a mixed-media artist, on display at the Ghaf Gallery in Abu Dhabi.

In pictures: Charity auction held in Abu Dhabi


  • English
  • Arabic

Twenty glass cases containing miniature mannequins have been auctioned off at The Ghaf Gallery in Abu Dhabi to raise money for the Ewa’a Shelter for Women and Children.

Getting%20there
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The winners

Fiction

  • ‘Amreekiya’  by Lena Mahmoud
  •  ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid

The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award

  • ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi;  translated by Ramon J Stern
  • ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres

The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award

  • ‘Footnotes in the Order  of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah

Children/Young Adult

  •  ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb 
Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

Key features of new policy

Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6

Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge

A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools

Schools to implement online system to encouraging transparency and accountability

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin

Director: Shawn Levy

Rating: 3/5

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Scoreline

Switzerland 5

Zombieland: Double Tap

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone

Four out of five stars 

RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile

Started: 2016

Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel 

Based: Ramallah, Palestine

Sector: Technology, Security

# of staff: 13

Investment: $745,000

Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors

Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

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CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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The Matrix Resurrections

Director: Lana Wachowski

Stars:  Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick 

Rating:****

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Stamp%20duty%20timeline
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The biog

Name: James Mullan

Nationality: Irish

Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)

Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”

Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”

Strait of Hormuz

Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.

The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.

Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.