Aslan Karatsev at the Millennium Millionaire draw by Dubai Duty Free on Saturday evening, after bring crowned winner of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Image: Dubai Duty Free.
Aslan Karatsev at the Millennium Millionaire draw by Dubai Duty Free on Saturday evening, after bring crowned winner of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Image: Dubai Duty Free.
Aslan Karatsev at the Millennium Millionaire draw by Dubai Duty Free on Saturday evening, after bring crowned winner of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Image: Dubai Duty Free.
Aslan Karatsev at the Millennium Millionaire draw by Dubai Duty Free on Saturday evening, after bring crowned winner of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Image: Dubai Duty Free.

School transport employees win $1m in Dubai Duty Free draw


Haneen Dajani
  • English
  • Arabic

When Rahul Thazheveettil received a call saying his syndicate had won $1 million, he thought it was a hoax.

The finance officer, 34, has been buying tickets with his 24  colleagues at a school transportation company for four years.

Each time they enter the draw, they split the cost of several tickets and register them under one of their names.

Usually the draws are done in the morning, so when they called me on Saturday evening I thought it was a fraud call

Their winning ticket in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire’s draw on March 20 was picked by Russian tennis player Aslan Karatsev, after he won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

"Usually the draws are done in the morning, so when they called me on Saturday evening I thought it was a fraud call," Mr Thazheveettil told The National.

“And I thought our tickets [had] already expired [in] the earlier draw on March 3.”

The following morning he received another call from the organisers but still could not believe they had won.

“Then they uploaded it on the website and I saw my name," he said.

“My birthday was on March 17, so I felt it was like a birthday gift.”

Rahul Thazheveettil with his mother Savithri Thazheveettil and wife Vinisha Rahul. Courtesy: Rahul Thazheveettil
Rahul Thazheveettil with his mother Savithri Thazheveettil and wife Vinisha Rahul. Courtesy: Rahul Thazheveettil

Mr Thazheveettil said he is not sure how much of the $1 million prize he will receive because it's yet to be decided how the money will be split.

“Each one contributed with a different amount and we bought around four tickets, so we have to calculate how much each person gets.”

The Indian national said he plans to spend his share – which could be around Dh140,000 – to clear his loans back home.

“I think I will have some money left over, not a huge amount, so I will just save it.”

He said he felt honoured that after four years of buying tickets with his colleagues, the first one to win was under his name.

“And the [tennis] champion came all the way [to Dubai] to pick my name. I am very happy and proud.”

A resident in Dubai for 12 years, Mr Thazheveettil said this was the first time he's won in any draw.

“We will continue purchasing tickets every month – this has become a normal habit for us,” he said.

The winning ticket was bought on February 25.

Mr Thazheveettil is the 178th Indian to have won $1 million since the start of the Millennium Millionaire promotion in 1999.

According to the organisers, Indians make up the highest number of Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire ticket buyers.

How to help

Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:

2289 - Dh10

2252 - Dh50

6025 - Dh20

6027 - Dh100

6026 - Dh200

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.

 

 

'Skin'

Dir: Guy Nattiv

Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
  • Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.

David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

The specs: 2018 Maserati Ghibli

Price, base / as tested: Dh269,000 / Dh369,000

Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 355hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 500Nm @ 4,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.9L / 100km

Syria squad

Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.

Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

The biog

Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists. 

Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.

Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic 

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Turkish Ladies

Various artists, Sony Music Turkey 

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Major honours

ARSENAL

  • FA Cup - 2005

BARCELONA

  • La Liga - 2013
  • Copa del Rey - 2012
  • Fifa Club World Cup - 2011

CHELSEA

  • Premier League - 2015, 2017
  • FA Cup - 2018
  • League Cup - 2015

SPAIN

  • World Cup - 2010
  • European Championship - 2008, 2012
Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners