With just over a week until the end of Ramadan, UAE residents are gearing up for Eid Al Fitr. The holiday is tipped to begin on Monday, July 28, and many will be combining it with annual leave for a longer break and the opportunity to explore destinations far and near.
A number of hotels in the region, and around the world, have attractive Eid packages, which include discounted room rates and facilities such as breakfast, Wi-Fi and spa treatments, among others.
The following offers are valid during Eid Al Fitr and include all taxes.
REGIONAL
If time is short, think about a regional minibreak. Egypt and Turkey are within five hours’ flying time and offer a cultural escape and respite from the UAE’s heat and humidity.
Egypt
Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria has a summer offer that includes suite accommodation, breakfast, a 60-minute classic massage (one massage per guest) and internet access for a minimum two-night stay. Rates start from US$535 (Dh1,965). Call 0020 3581 8000 or visit www.fourseasons.com/alexandria.
Qatar
Stay three nights in a deluxe room at Sharq Village & Spa, Doha, and receive breakfast, a 50-minute signature massage or a buffet dinner, and 15 per cent discount on food and beverages, with prices starting from QAR1,950 (Dh1,967) per double room, per night. Call 00974 4425 6666 or visit www.ritzcarlton.com.
Turkey
Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah in Istanbul is offering a 15 per cent discount on the Senior, Piano and Presidential suites. With complimentary Wi-Fi, breakfast, late check-out and access to Pera Spa by Spa Soul, the Live the Suite Life package is priced from €308 (Dh1,540) per night. Call 0090 212 377 4000 or visit www.jumeirah.com.
Be one of the first to visit The Watermill, a contemporary three-bedroom house built around a 200-year-old mill in the forest near Inlice, 25 minutes from Dalaman Airport. A package including seven nights' accommodation, seven days' car hire, light breakfast on arrival, welcome hamper and daily cleaning costs £733 (Dh4,600) per person, based on six people sharing. Call 0044 208 605 3500 or visit www.exclusiveescapes.co.uk.
Stay at the recently opened Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum, and enjoy panoramic views over the Aegean Sea. Flexible rates, including one-way transfer for guests booking a suite, start from €695 (Dh3,480). Call 0090 252 311 1888 or visit www.mandarinoriental.com/bodrum.
EUROPE
With long days and mild weather, summer is one of the best times to visit Europe. Take advantage of these deals for couples, families, culture vultures and wellness warriors.
France
The Peninsula Paris has an introductory offer starting from €695 (Dh3,480) for accommodation only, or €750 (Dh3,750) including breakfast, for stays in the month of August. Call 0033 158 122 888 or visit www.paris.peninsula.com.
Treat your children to a holiday at Disneyland Paris. A six-night package, including three nights at the Citadines la Défense in Paris (room only), three nights at the Disney Santa Fe hotel with breakfast, four-day Disney Parks entrance ticket and return economy flights from Dubai with Emirates, starts from Dh7,290 for adults and Dh4,210 for children. Call 800 4969 or visit www.emiratesholidays.com.
Germany
Have a healthy holiday at Breidenbacher Hof in Düsseldorf. The five-night Detoxing Days package includes accommodation, breakfast, complimentary Wi-Fi, refreshments, medical and physiotherapeutic consultation, detox and diet plans, and costs from €1,760 (Dh8,805) per double room, per night. Call 0049 211 160 900 or visit www.breidenbacherhofcapella.de.
Families staying at The Charles Hotel in Munich will receive a 50 per cent discount on their second room, complimentary breakfast, complimentary meals for children under 3 years, 50 per cent discount on meals and beverages for children between 4 and 12 years and a welcome gift for each child. The two-room family package starts from €610 (Dh3,050). Call 0049 895 444 440 or visit www.roccofortehotels.com.
Stay four nights at the Hotel Palace Berlin and pay for three. Receive a free room upgrade, welcome treatment, daily breakfast, airport transfers, one Berlin Welcome Card per person and a four-course dinner (excluding drinks) for two people. The package is priced from €380 (Dh1,900) per person in a double room. Call 0049 302 5020 or visit www.palace.de.
Hungary
Discover history, culture and nature with the Danube Bend Tour package at Corinthia Hotel Budapest. The package starts from €645 (Dh3,230) for a minimum three-night stay, and includes accommodation for two in a superior room, breakfast and full-day Danube Bend tour to Esztergom, Visegrád and Szentendre with a boat tour back to Budapest. Call 0036 1479 4000 or visit www.corinthia.com/budapest.
Italy
Stay four nights at Verdura Golf & Spa Resort on Sicily's Mediterranean coastline and pay for three, with breakfast included. The package starts from €325 (Dh1,625) and is valid until August 1. Call 0039 092 599 8001, or visit www.roccofortehotels.com.
Spain
Get a culture fix in the heart of Madrid at the Hotel Ritz by Belmond. The five-night Mad for Spain package includes accommodation in a classic room, private limousine airport transfers, breakfast, a guided tour of the Prado Museum, VIP tour of Bernabéu Stadium, Hotel Ritz afternoon tea, five-course degustation menu, dinner and cooking class, and costs from €3,160 (Dh15,805). Call 0034 917 016 767 or visit www.ritz-madrid.com.
Receive a 50 per cent discount on the children's room at Melia Madrid Princesa when an adult room is booked at the full rate. Including breakfast, the rates start from €149 (Dh745) for an adult's room and €74.5 (Dh373) for a children's room. Call 0034 915 418 200 or visit www.melia.com.
Switzerland
Kempinski Grand Hôtel des Bains' Discovery Engadin package includes two nights' accommodation in a double room, breakfast and dinner, one activity day including a gourmand backpack, bike rental or hiking sticks, mountain railway tickets and spa entry. The package costs from CHF1,249 (Dh5,150). Call 0041 818 383 838 or visit www.kempinski.com/st-moritz.
Get active in the fresh air of Giardino Mountain with Champfèr-St Moritz's three-night Giardino Horses offer. The package includes accommodation, half board, horse-riding lessons, rides for beginners and experienced riders and free use of all mountain railways in Upper Engadine, and is priced from CHF965 (Dh4,000) per person. Call 0041 818 366 300 or visit www.giardino-mountain.ch.
ASIA
With idyllic beaches and tropical islands, Asia has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, diverse cultures and great food, too.
Fiji
Head to the stunning Laucala Island for an all-inclusive private getaway that starts from $5,040 (Dh18,512) per room, per night, including full board, beverages, all activities, spa day, laundry, children's club and internet access. Visit www.exclusivetravelgroup.com.
Malaysia
Take in the city and rainforest in a seven-night package that includes three nights at the ParkRoyal Services Suites in Kuala Lumpur, four nights at the Four Points by Sheraton in Langkawi, breakfast, return economy flights with Emirates and private hotel transfers, and costs from Dh5,990 per person. Call 800 4969 or visit www.emiratesholidays.com.
Maldives
Baros Maldives' Gourmet Indulgence offer for two includes breakfast, a private dinner and cooking demonstration, five-course degustation dinner with beverage pairing and airport transfers by speedboat. The offer starts from $1,084 (Dh3,980) per deluxe villa, per night, for a four-night minimum. Call 0096 0664 2672 or visit www.baros.com.
Stay four nights at the Adaaran Rannalhi Resort with an all-inclusive meal and beverage plan, return economy class flights with Emirates and resort speedboat transfers from Dh6,140 per person. Call 800 4969 or visit www.emiratesholidays.ae.
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if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
RESULTS
6.30pm: Longines Conquest Classic Dh150,000 Maiden 1,200m.
Winner: Halima Hatun, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer).
7.05pm: Longines Gents La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,200m.
Winner: Moosir, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Longines Equestrian Collection Dh150,000 Maiden 1,600m.
Winner: Mazeed, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Longines Gents Master Collection Dh175,000 Handicap.
Winner: Thegreatcollection, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Longines Ladies Master Collection Dh225,000 Conditions 1,600m.
Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Longines Ladies La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,600m.
Winner: Secret Trade, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
10pm: Longines Moon Phase Master Collection Dh170,000 Handicap 2,000m.
Winner:
Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
PSL FINAL
Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
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.
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
How Beautiful this world is!
Honeymoonish
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
