Mention Sarajevo and it is likely images of its four-year siege from 1992 during the Bosnian war stream through the head. But the capital city is trying hard to shed these images as it woos foreign investment.
Key facts about Sarajevo:
Airlines that connect with Sarajevo: Turkish Airlines connects Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Airport: Sarajevo International Airport (Iata code: SJJ) opened in 1969. Increase in traffic and the Winter Olympic Games of 1984 led to an expansion. The airport underwent a round of extensive renovation after the Bosnian war when it reopened to public in 1996. The airport has one terminal.
Airport hotel: Hotel Octagon is 100 metres from the airport. Prices for a standard room per person per night start at €62 (Dh297), including breakfast.
Downtown hotel: Dating back to 1881, Hotel Europe is Sarajevo's only five-star hotel, according to Expedia. It is located near Bascarsija, the historic cultural centre. Room rates start at €92.
Cost of cab from airport to city centre: That can be €20, according to online travel forums.
A conference centre: The Sarajevo School of Science and Technology has three auditoriums, four central indoor amphitheatres and two outdoor amphitheatres along with a helipad. The centre has the capacity to host small groups in its 40 classrooms and 200 people in the auditoriums.
A power restaurant: Kibe is located on Vrbanjuša and offers views over Sarajevo besides Bosnian dishes and grilled lamb. Prices can range from US$20 (Dh73) to $27.
Currency/conversion rate: 1 Bosnian mark = Dh2.44
Main businesses in town: Few of the heavy industries of the Communist period survived the test of time. The current sectors that contribute to the GDP include production and processing of food and beverages, tobacco and chemical products, electric machines, textile production and construction. Companies in town include BH Airlines, the pharmaceutical company Bosnalijek and Sarajevo Tobacco Factory, which produces cigarettes.
ssahoo@thenational.ae
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Founder: Ayman Badawi
Date started: Test product September 2016, paid launch January 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software
Size: Seven employees
Funding: $170,000 in angel investment
Funders: friends
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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.
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
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide
Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.
The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.
Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years.
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
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
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SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
SPECS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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