• Joining the wave of chocolate menus and dessert bars cropping up across the UAE is ChikaLicious Dessert Club, which just opened in Dubai's Village Mall in Jumeirah. Among the delights on offer (there are queues at the popular New York City location) are a dark chocolate brownie cookie with peanut butter chips and salted pretzels, black sesame cream brulee and vanilla mille crepe cake.
• Dubai finally has a place to relax. Previously a private-members' club, Suga, Conrad Dubai is now opening its ground floor doors and offering its creative concoctions to the general public. A menu need never be opened, with mixologists offering tailored beverages with rare elements including thyme syrup and fig jam. A variety of canapé-style foods are also on offer, ranging from wagyu beef sliders with crispy shallots and pickles, chicken lollipops with toasted sesame lime aioli, goat's cheese croquettes with tomato fondue, and truffled fat chips with parmesan emulsion to complement the beverage selection.
• Reform Social & Grill, The Lakes has launched its New Great British Brunch, which offers guests a Posh Ploughman's Larder and seasonal side dishes to share, with an a la carte offering classics such as fish & chips, braised beef cheeks with horseradish dumplings, steamed Shetland mussels or even a full English breakfast. For dessert, guests can have a traditional British sweet shop-inspired dessert stand delivered to their table, offering treats including butterscotch toffee pudding, rhubarb & custard crumble, chocolate crunchie bites or British artisanal cheeses. Brunch is offered from 12-4pm and is priced from Dh230-350.
• JLT's Náis Italian Kitchen has introduced a new menu for the season bursting with authentic favourites from the north-western Piedmont region – reflective of the owner's northern Italian roots. The head chef Stefano Bertero's tajarin handmade pasta uses arugula as the base for its pesto, while the caprese features oven-baked confit tomatoes with a citrus dressing. "We do things a little differently in our restaurant. We don't serve mainstream Italian food, but unique creations that diners have probably never experienced before," says Marianna Rescia, the owner. Náis Italian Kitchen is located in HDS Tower, Cluster F, JLT.
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
What is 'Soft Power'?
Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye.
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength.
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force.
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.
pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
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UAE v Zimbabwe A
Results
Match 1 – UAE won by 4 wickets
Match 2 – UAE won by 5 wickets
Match 3 – UAE won by 25 runs
Match 4 – UAE won by 77 runs
Fixture
Match 5, Saturday, 9.30am start, ICC Academy, Dubai
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
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