Mansour Bin Jabr’s idea of a hard life may not resonate with everyone. “The cars, the jets, they don’t make me happy. I’m a hippie in a way. I love islands, beaches,” says the 30-year-old chief operating officer of Bin Jabr Group, having just returned from a business trip in the Maldives. “I see myself retired in the Bahamas in a resort I own with my toys. […]
ABU DHABI // The UAE has summoned the Swiss ambassador over a statement made by her country against Bahrain. Dr Abdulrahim Al Awadhi, assistant minister for legal affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, summoned Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to the UAE. Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum, director of the ministry’s European Affairs Department, also attended. Dr Al Awadhi expressed the UAE’s denunciation of […]
It’s in facials, on cappuccinos and most recently on the award-winning Burg Khalifa. But what is gold leaf like to work with when it comes to more permanent projects? We speak to a variety of artists about this tricky material. newslide Gold-leaf gilder All that glitters is gold at Emirates Palace. Most of the ceiling and many of its walls, totalling a one-kilometre surface, are covered in […]
Submissions have opened for the next two programmes of Arab Film Studio, the documentary and script writing strands of the long-running free training programme based out of Abu Dhabi. The winner of the documentary programme receives an internship with Image Nation’s documentary department, previously responsible for internationally acclaimed docs including He Named Me Malala and Anwar Roma (Lights of Rome). Documentaries from previous students, meanwhile, have covered […]
When The Elixir Clinic in Al Marina held its grand opening earlier this year, mixed in among the vitamin drips, the immune therapy concoctions, the detox and the weight-loss offerings, several people were hooked up to nothing but a beam of light. They were experiencing – and raving about – IV Laser therapy, a low-level intravenous laser infusion only available at the company’s Abu Dhabi branch. A […]
It has been almost five years to the day since Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji took over as head of Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, Mumtalakat, restructuring several investment interests and making other changes to whip the fund into shape after years of losses. It followed a term at Gulf Air in which he managed the national carrier’s controversial restructure that saw 15 percent of its staff, around 600 […]
UAE-based Aster DM Healthcare is in discussions with its banks to change some terms of a syndicated loan to counter difficult business conditions, including delays to payments it is owed, sources familiar with the matter said. The company, which operates hospitals, clinics and pharmacies in the Gulf and India, raised a multi-tranche syndicated loan equivalent to about AED600 million ($163 million) in March last year, Thomson Reuters […]
Cheat days have become a modern phenomenon. A quick scan of social media hashtags such as #cheatday and #cheatmeal, yields over a million photos of freakshakes, oozing cheese burgers and deep fried chicken wings. A few hundred more are posted each weekend in a declaration of freedom from the dieting drudgery suffered during the week. Celebrities, who know a thing or two about restrictive diets, have also […]
With GCC governments placing so much emphasis on start-ups as the backbone of a stronger, non-oil based economy, people would be forgiven for thinking it was all about quantity over quality. In fact, in an interview two years ago, a senior official at Abu Dhabi government leading on the UAE’s ‘Takamul’ patenting initative, came right out and said it. He told Arabian Business that the quality of […]
Yas Marina Circuit has announced a brand-new, limited edition driving experience featuring the race-prepared Ferrari 458 GT through the circuit’s regular DriveYAS activity days. An experience previously only available to professional drivers or gentlemen racers, the Circuit is now offering members of the public the unique chance to drive a race-prepared Ferrari 458 GT on the world famous track at the home of the Formula 1 Etihad […]
18 March 2017 Dubai, UAE – The UAE’s wise leadership has worked tirelessly to anticipate the future, as a fundamental element of its strategies and plans. The vision of the UAE’s leadership, led by HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE; HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; and HH Sheikh […]
DUBAI // Cheating has been around as long as universities themselves – from the age-old habit of sneaking notes into exams to more modern methods of deception. But technological advances are helping to keep students on the straight and narrow rather than aiding their deceit. Academics in the country’s universities are noticing a gradual decline in the practice. A realisation of how easy it is to be […]
When Dorian Rogers hosted the first performance poetry night Rooftop Rhythms five years ago at Abu Dhabi’s Cafe Arabia, he expected a few dozen people to show up at best. Fast-forward to today, and Rogers is expecting up to 300 people to turn out for the 47th Rooftop Rhythms at NYU Abu Dhabi on Friday, marking the monthly night’s triumphant fifth anniversary. Drawing on diverse traditions – […]
18 March 2017 Manama, Bahrain – GFH Financial Group (“GFH” or “the Group”) announced today that it has convened its first meeting in Abu Dhabi last Thursday for its new Board of Directors, whose appointment was recently confirmed for the 2017-2019. Upon its first meeting the 10 member Board have indorsed the appointment of his Excellency Shaikh Ahmed Bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa as GFH’s new Chairman and Dr. […]
ABU DHABI // An event held to raise awareness about special education was attended by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan in the capital on Thursday. The gala dinner took place at the Abu Dhabi’s Future Rehabilitation Centre, where the Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development praised the centre’s 16 years of contribution to the development of special education and rehabilitation of young people with disabilities, reported […]
Hundreds of men and women with limited access to proper hospitals, medical insurance or awareness were tested and screened for breast cancer as the Pink Caravan came to a close yesterday. The 7th Pink Caravan ride, the breast cancer campaign, held its final event at Zayed Sports City in the capital with a seven-kilometre walk to raise awareness of the topic. The 10-day trek, themed Seven Years […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for March 18, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film creenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. Aarti Jhurani rounds up 10 things to do today in the UAE. Want to see your event listed here? Email us with the details and contact information at [email protected] newslide Al Ain Film screening Watch […]
Participants pose for a photo after a walk around Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi on March 17, 2017, before the closing ceremony for the Pink Caravan Ride 2017. Reem Mohammed / The National / March 17, 2017 Grooms and riders prepare the horses for the closing Ceremony of the Pink Caravan Ride 2017 at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi on March 17, 2017. Reem Mohammed […]
ABU DHABI // The UAE and Brazil signed three accords during Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed’s state visit to South American country on Thursday. Two agreements – one on air transport service and another on visa wavers for holders of ordinary passports – as well as one on reciprocal visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, special, official and service passports were signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs […]
At 38 years and counting, the clock is ticking against the famed environmental artist for his proposal to create the world’s largest sculpture in the UAE desert. Even though many of Christo’s memories may be cherished, not every anniversary is a cause for celebration. “I am not a masochist, I don’t like to spend 38 years working on this project,” says the white-haired artist who wrapped the […]
Plans have been revealed for the first residential community of private “green” villas and townhouses at Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s flagship sustainable urban development. LEAD Development and Project Management Consultants (LEAD) and The National Investor (TNI) will build the project, which will also include apartments, and is to be delivered over 250,000 sq m of gross floor area. The freehold real estate development will accommodate around 5,000 […]
In Nairobi, children kick a football down the street pretending to be Ronaldo. In London, K-pop is on MTV. And in an Abu Dhabi mall, a queue forms outside the latest bubble-tea cafe. We have all become familiar with the continuous creep of globalisation. So it’s not surprising that, like other industries, classical music hasn’t been left behind. Next week, one of the bastions of the British […]
Strong winds across the UAE are expected to continue through the weekend, with dust storms reducing visibility over the northern and central regions. The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology warned residents of the possibility that winds could reach up to 60kph, causing blowing sand and dust to reduce visibility to less than 500 meters. The Mohammed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge on Yas Island continued Friday, […]
Composer Mohammed Fairouz is somewhat of a rarity. Not only is he an Emirati working in the western classical tradition, but he also moonlights as a foreign-policy commentator for the likes of The Independent and The National. It’s perhaps unsurprising, considering he’s the son of an Emirati diplomat and grew up living on several different continents. These days, the 31-year-old may be based in New York, but […]
