• British Labour Party candidates and supporters celebrate after making gains in the Westminster City Council elections in London. Reuters
    British Labour Party candidates and supporters celebrate after making gains in the Westminster City Council elections in London. Reuters
  • Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks to supporters in Barnet, north London, on Friday, where the party clinched victory in the polls. PA
    Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks to supporters in Barnet, north London, on Friday, where the party clinched victory in the polls. PA
  • Prime Minister Boris Johnson paints with children during a visit to a school in South Ruislip on Friday, after the local government elections. PA
    Prime Minister Boris Johnson paints with children during a visit to a school in South Ruislip on Friday, after the local government elections. PA
  • Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey celebrates the party's gains at Wimbledon Common in London. PA
    Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey celebrates the party's gains at Wimbledon Common in London. PA
  • Ballot boxes are opened at the Glasgow City Council building in Scotland. PA
    Ballot boxes are opened at the Glasgow City Council building in Scotland. PA
  • London Mayor Sadiq Khan celebrates during the counting process at Wandsworth Town Hall in London. Reuters
    London Mayor Sadiq Khan celebrates during the counting process at Wandsworth Town Hall in London. Reuters
  • Election staff begin to count votes in Belfast after the Northern Ireland Assembly election. AP
    Election staff begin to count votes in Belfast after the Northern Ireland Assembly election. AP
  • Candidates and observers monitor the counting process at Lindley Hall in Westminster. Reuters
    Candidates and observers monitor the counting process at Lindley Hall in Westminster. Reuters
  • Members of the counting staff rest at Lindley Hall in Westminster. Reuters
    Members of the counting staff rest at Lindley Hall in Westminster. Reuters
  • Labour candidates and supporters celebrate as the votes are counted at Peterborough Arena. PA
    Labour candidates and supporters celebrate as the votes are counted at Peterborough Arena. PA
  • Election officials at Peterborough Arena during the local government elections. PA
    Election officials at Peterborough Arena during the local government elections. PA
  • Volunteers sort ballot papers before counting at Basildon Sporting Village in Essex. PA
    Volunteers sort ballot papers before counting at Basildon Sporting Village in Essex. PA
  • An election monitor wears a Labour Party rosette at Wandsworth Town Hall in London. Reuters
    An election monitor wears a Labour Party rosette at Wandsworth Town Hall in London. Reuters
  • Ballots are counted at Wandsworth Town Hall in London. Reuters
    Ballots are counted at Wandsworth Town Hall in London. Reuters
  • Ballot papers are counted at Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis and Wellness Centre in Sunderland. Getty
    Ballot papers are counted at Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis and Wellness Centre in Sunderland. Getty
  • The first ballot boxes arrive at Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis and Wellness Centre in Sunderland. Getty
    The first ballot boxes arrive at Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis and Wellness Centre in Sunderland. Getty
  • The first ballot papers are counted in Sunderland. Getty
    The first ballot papers are counted in Sunderland. Getty
  • Ballot boxes are emptied at the Guildhall in Hull. PA
    Ballot boxes are emptied at the Guildhall in Hull. PA
  • Messages are left outside a polling station on Glen Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Reuters
    Messages are left outside a polling station on Glen Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Reuters
  • A woman hands out leaflets in support of the Traditional Unionist Voice party in Belfast. EPA
    A woman hands out leaflets in support of the Traditional Unionist Voice party in Belfast. EPA
  • Polling stations across Northern Ireland were open for voting for the 2022 assembly election. EPA
    Polling stations across Northern Ireland were open for voting for the 2022 assembly election. EPA
  • A woman attaches a sign on the wall of a polling station in London. Reuters
    A woman attaches a sign on the wall of a polling station in London. Reuters

Local election results 2022: Tories suffer across UK as Johnson admits to 'tough night'


  • English
  • Arabic

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted the Conservatives endured a “tough night” as his party lost major London authorities to the opposition Labour Party after Britain went to the polls.

On Friday, he began facing a backlash from local Tory leaders as his party suffered setbacks across England, including key heartland seats such as the borough of Wandsworth in London which it had held for decades. Labour also took Westminster and Barnet in the capital.

Ed Davey, leader of the liberal Democrats, an opposition party that tries to claim the centre ground between Conservatives and Labour, said the local elections show his party could seize Conservative stronghold “Blue Wall” seats at the next election.

In Scotland, the Scottish Nationalist Party had the biggest win, with the Tories third behind Labour. In Wales, Conservatives lost the only council it controlled. In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein, a party that wants the reunification of Ireland, appear to be doing well as the first results were confirmed.

Despite Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party strengthening its grip on the capital, the party was hit by news hours later that the police are now investigating him over allegations he broke Covid-19 rules.

The Labour leader has come under pressure since footage emerged of him drinking with colleagues in April 2021 in Durham while campaigning for the Hartlepool by-election.

There had been repeated calls for him to be investigated following the prime minster's fine over the “partygate” scandal.

As Labour took key London seats, Mr Johnson said he took full responsibility for the results.

“It is midterm, it’s certainly a mixed set of results,” he said.

“We had a tough night in some parts of the country but on the other hand, in other parts of the country, you are still seeing Conservatives going forward and making quite remarkable gains in places that haven’t voted Conservative for a long time, if ever.”

Early overnight results have gone against the prime minister's party, with the Conservatives braced for even more bad news as counting continues throughout Friday in many counties across England, Scotland and Wales.

It comes as Labour took Wandsworth, a low-tax Conservative stronghold since 1978 and famously Margaret Thatcher’s favourite blue council, and Westminster for the first time since its creation in 1964.

It was part of a trend in the British capital in which voters used the elections to express anger over the rising cost of living and on the prime minister breaking his own Covid-19 lockdown rules.

The overall tally due later on Friday will offer the most important snapshot of public opinion since Mr Johnson won the Conservative Party's biggest majority in more than 30 years in the 2019 general election.

The ballot is the first electoral test for Mr Johnson since he became the first British leader in living memory to have broken the law while in office.

He was fined last month for attending a birthday gathering in his office in 2020, breaking social distancing rules then in place to curb the spread of Covid-19.

As dozens of Tory councillors lost their seats, some local Conservative leaders criticised the prime minister.

John Mallinson, leader of Carlisle City Council, hit out after Labour took control of the new Cumberland authority that will replace it.

“I think it is not just partygate, there is the integrity issue,” he told the BBC.

“I just don’t feel people any longer have the confidence that the prime minister can be relied upon to tell the truth.”

In Portsmouth, where the Tories lost four seats, Simon Bosher, the leader of the Conservative group, said Mr Johnson should “take a good, strong look in the mirror” because “those are people that are actually bearing the brunt on the doorstep of behaviour of what’s been going on in Westminster”.

Ravi Govindia, now the former Wandsworth Council leader, said: “Let’s not be coy about it, of course national issues were part of the dilemma people were facing.”

'Big turning point for Labour'

Labour's ability to take Barnet Council from the Tories will be seen as a sign the party has moved on from the days of being blighted by anti-Semitism rows under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

The North London area has a large Jewish population — a voting bloc Sir Keir had reached out to immediately after becoming party leader in a bid to win back trust.

Before the final results were declared in Barnet, the Conservative group leader Daniel Thomas conceded defeat, saying the loss of the council “does not bode well” for the Tories and summing it up as a “warning shot” from his party’s supporters.

Speaking during a visit to Barnet on Thursday morning, Sir Keir lauded the party's “brilliant” result in the area and said there would be “more to come as the day goes on”.

“We've turned a massive corner in the Labour Party here,” he said.

“We're winning in London, we're winning north and south as well in Cumberland, we've won in Southampton, we've got more results to come.

“This is a big, big turning point for us. This is a massive turning point for the Labour Party.

“From the depths of 2019, we're back on track now for the general election showing the hard change that we've done in the last two years. What a difference it has made. Cumberland, very important win last night and key constituencies for the next general election. Same in Southampton.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer arrives to speak to supporters in Barnet, northern London on Friday morning. PA
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer arrives to speak to supporters in Barnet, northern London on Friday morning. PA

Asked if the results were a sign of the prime minister's failings rather than Labour's success, Sir Keir said votes for his party had been “hard earned”.

However, his party has also suffered losses, most notably in the northern city of Hull which has been taken by the Liberal Democrats.

Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick acknowledged the results were “disappointing” but said he did not believe there was a seismic shift in politics in the UK — where there was “no great love” for Sir Keir — and predicted results in other parts of England would be more favourable for the Tories.

Lord Barwell, ex-prime minister Theresa May’s former chief of staff, said the election results in London were “catastrophic” for the Conservatives and should serve as a “wake-up call” for the party.

The “partygate” saga and the cost-of-living crisis played heavily on voters minds when they went to the polls and Labour has accused the Conservative-led government of not doing enough to soften the blow of rising household bills for millions of families in the UK.

In the face of mounting criticism of Mr Johnson’s leadership, Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden defended the prime minister and insisted he was the right person to lead the party into the next general election.

“I think looking at the picture of the results so far, they demonstrate that while there have been difficult results, they are consistent with what you’d expect with us from midterm,” he told Sky News.

“Labour are certainly not on the path to power and I believe that Boris Johnson does have the leadership skills, in particular the energy and the dynamism that we need during this difficult period of time.”

Renowned polling guru Sir John Curtice said Tory MPs will worry about the results in southern England, where many of them have seats.

He said there remains a “very substantial legacy of the impact of Brexit”.

Sir John said Labour’s aim in the elections was to “demonstrate unambiguously that they are making progress”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the party’s gains in the capital would enable the party to claim they had “reached a new zenith of popularity” in London.

“The trouble is outside of London Labour’s share of vote was actually down slightly,” he said. “Of course Labour can’t win Westminster Parliament by simply winning Westminster council.”

In other developments:

· The Tories won only one seat on Richmond council, with the Liberal Democrats winning the majority

· Labour lost Hull to the Liberal Democrats

· Labour gained Southampton from the Conservatives

· The Tories lost Worcester to no overall control

· The Conservatives lost West Oxfordshire, which contains David Cameron’s former Witney constituency, to no overall control

· Voters in Bristol decided to abolish the post of mayor in a referendum

· In Rutland, where there was not even an election, council leader Oliver Hemsley quit the Conservative group

· In Northern Ireland, counting will begin to decide on the formation of the Stormont Assembly, with Sinn Fein vying with the DUP to become the largest party

  • A dog waits at a polling station in London. EPA
    A dog waits at a polling station in London. EPA
  • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson exits a polling station with his dog Dilyn after voting in the local elections in Westminster, London. EPA
    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson exits a polling station with his dog Dilyn after voting in the local elections in Westminster, London. EPA
  • People queue outside a polling station in London. Voters are heading to the polls to have their say in a host of local elections across the UK on Thursday. Reuters
    People queue outside a polling station in London. Voters are heading to the polls to have their say in a host of local elections across the UK on Thursday. Reuters
  • Scotland's First Minister and Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon poses with voters after casting her vote in Glasgow. AFP
    Scotland's First Minister and Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon poses with voters after casting her vote in Glasgow. AFP
  • Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria after voting in London. AP Photo
    Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria after voting in London. AP Photo
  • People walk past a polling station set in the Al Madina Jamia Masjid mosque in Oldham, Lancashire, England. AFP
    People walk past a polling station set in the Al Madina Jamia Masjid mosque in Oldham, Lancashire, England. AFP
  • People arrive to vote at a mobile polling station at Aldershot Lido in Hampshire. PA
    People arrive to vote at a mobile polling station at Aldershot Lido in Hampshire. PA
  • Fullwell Windmill polling station opens on the morning of the local elections in Sunderland. Getty Images
    Fullwell Windmill polling station opens on the morning of the local elections in Sunderland. Getty Images
  • A woman walks outside a polling station in St Peter's Church of Ireland on the day of the Northern Ireland Assembly elections, in Belfast. Reuters
    A woman walks outside a polling station in St Peter's Church of Ireland on the day of the Northern Ireland Assembly elections, in Belfast. Reuters
  • A dog waits for its owner outside a polling station in Sunderland. Getty Images
    A dog waits for its owner outside a polling station in Sunderland. Getty Images
  • Voters arrive at a polling station in a temporary building in Whitley Bay, Northumberland. PA
    Voters arrive at a polling station in a temporary building in Whitley Bay, Northumberland. PA
  • A man arrives at a polling station in Cardiff, Wales. Getty Images
    A man arrives at a polling station in Cardiff, Wales. Getty Images
  • Photographers surround Boris Johnson as he steps out of the Methodist Hall in central London after casting his vote. AFP
    Photographers surround Boris Johnson as he steps out of the Methodist Hall in central London after casting his vote. AFP

After official results were declared from 62 councils, the Tories had lost control of four authorities and suffered a net loss of 97 seats, Labour had a net gain of two councils and 52 councillors, the Lib Dems had gained one council and 40 seats, while the Greens had added 19 councillors.

The loss of Wandsworth will be a significant blow because of its symbolic status in London. It turned blue in 1978, a year before Margaret Thatcher’s election as prime minister and was reputedly her favourite council, noted for its low taxes.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said “history has been made” with the victory.

He tweeted a video of Labour campaigners and councillors celebrating in Wandsworth.

In the video, Mr Khan can be heard saying: “Three words. Wandsworth, Labour, gains”, as Labour supporters cheer.

Midterm elections are always difficult for a governing party, although as many of the English seats were last contested in 2018 during Theresa May’s chaotic administration, opportunities for opposition parties to make further gains may be limited.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis insisted Mr Johnson remained the right person to lead the Conservatives, amid speculation that a bad set of election results — coupled with any further revelations about parties breaking lockdown rules — could see more Tory MPs submitting letters of no confidence.

“I absolutely think we can win the next election and I do think Boris Johnson is the right person to lead us into that,” Mr Lewis told Sky News.

Labour’s campaign had been affected by Tory calls for Durham Police to look into whether Sir Keir broke Covid-19 rules while campaigning before the 2021 Hartlepool by-election — suggestions he has dismissed as “mudslinging”.

The police announced they would be investigating him on Friday but only after the polls had closed.

The Tories have also complained about a secret pact between Labour and the Lib Dems to maximise Conservative pain in marginal seats, a claim denied by both opposition parties.

Local elections for the devolved assembly in Belfast, Northern Ireland could see a pro-Irish nationalist party win for the first time, which could have huge constitutional implications for the four-nation UK's future, with predicted victors Sinn Fein committed to a vote on the reunification of Ireland.

The contest for Northern Ireland's power-sharing assembly is set to capture attention, after numerous polls put Sinn Fein ahead.

A University of Liverpool poll reported on Tuesday that the party remained on target to win comfortably with more than a quarter of the vote.

The pro-UK Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and cross-community Alliance Party were tied for second.

In Scotland, Labour is bidding to leapfrog the Conservatives into second place, behind the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP).

SECRET%20INVASION
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Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'

Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.

Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.

"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.

"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.

"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."

First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

How%20to%20avoid%20getting%20scammed
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega

Director: Tim Burton

Rating: 3/5

The biog

Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza

Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby

Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer

Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

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.”

Washmen Profile

Date Started: May 2015

Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Laundry

Employees: 170

Funding: about $8m

Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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FIVE%20TRENDS%20THAT%20WILL%20SHAPE%20UAE%20BANKING
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Company%20profile
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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:

Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona

Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate

Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE

2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.

2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus

2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.

2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.

2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.

AT%20A%20GLANCE
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

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
Keep it fun and engaging

Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.

“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.

His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.

He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Leaderboard

63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)

64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)

66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)

67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)

68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)

69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)

NEW%20PRICING%20SCHEME%20FOR%20APPLE%20MUSIC%2C%20TV%2B%20AND%20ONE
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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
SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday Benevento v Atalanta (2pm), Genoa v Bologna (5pm), AC Milan v Torino (7.45pm)

Sunday Roma v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Udinese v Napoli, Hellas Verona v Crotone, Parma v Lazio (2pm), Fiorentina v Cagliari (9pm), Juventus v Sassuolo (11.45pm)

Monday Spezia v Sampdoria (11.45pm)

Kibsons%20Cares
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GIANT REVIEW

Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan

Director: Athale

Rating: 4/5

SERIE A FIXTURES

Friday Sassuolo v Benevento (Kick-off 11.45pm)

Saturday Crotone v Spezia (6pm), Torino v Udinese (9pm), Lazio v Verona (11.45pm)

Sunday Cagliari v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Atalanta v Fiorentina (6pm), Napoli v Sampdoria (6pm), Bologna v Roma (6pm), Genoa v Juventus (9pm), AC Milan v Parma (11.45pm)

The National photo project

Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Updated: May 06, 2022, 8:31 PM