This month, the online travel company Responsible Travel announced a huge rise in the popularity of Eastern European destinations selling on its site. Data showed that enquiries for Armenia were up 143 per cent on last year, Albania 110 per cent, followed by Montenegro at a 71 per cent increase and Croatia and Georgia, up 54 per cent each. Rosemary Behan picks four new trips to choose from.
Become an Esplora of Armenia and Georgia with five-stop tour
Following the success of its Armenia tour, Esplora has created its first cultural tour of both Armenia and Georgia. The two-week tour includes most of the important sites in both countries. The trip begins with four nights in Tbilisi, followed by four nights in Yerevan, two nights in Goris and a night each in Vardiza and Kazbegi. The trip costs from Dh10,500 per person, based on two people sharing, including accommodation, internal transport and most meals. FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,234 return, including taxes. For more information, visit
www.esplora.co.uk.
Take the bike by the handlebars on self-guided cycling journey
Tick off Montenegro and Albania with a six-day self-guided cycling holiday to the countries. The itinerary includes the former royal capital of Montenegro, Cetinje, small villages such as Rijeka Crnojevića and Ostros, and, across the border in Albania, Shkodra and Lake Skadar, before returning to Montenegrin capital Podgorica, and the Zabljak Crnojevića fortress. The trip, which can also be extended, costs from €490 (Dh2,047) per person, including five nights bed-and-breakfast accommodation, instructions and local emergency support. The price excludes bike hire, which costs from €100 (Dh418) per bike for six days, and luggage transfer, which costs from €200 (Dh836) per tour. Flights are not included – Etihad (www.etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade from Dh2,560 return, including taxes. For more information, visit www.responsibletravel.com or www.3etravel.me.
Fitness and festivities combine at week-long Croatian retreat
Combine a festival and a retreat with the first ever Wildfitness retreat on Obonjan Island in Croatia, from July 22 until August 19. Guests can book between one and four weeks at a fitness retreat in the secluded southern part of the island, and take part in daily fitness sessions, clean eating and a variety of workshops, as well as enjoying the acts and performances of the festival. One-week retreats cost from Dh5,500, sharing, including food and activities, but excluding flights and other transport. Obonjan Island is a 40-minute boat trip, or 20 minutes by speedboat, from the coastal town of Sibenik, and 80 kilometres from Split. Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies from Dubai to Split via Zagreb from Dh3,000 return, including taxes. For more information, visit www.wildfitness.com and www.obonjan-island.com.
Visit two Unesco World Heritage Sites in less-explored Romania
Go Barefoot Travel has launched a new nine-day group walking tour through the meadow valleys and remote mountain hamlets of northern Romania's less-explored Maramures and Bucovina regions. The tour includes visits to the painted churches of Bucovina and the wooden churches of Maramures, both Unesco World Heritage Sites. Travellers will also discover the Carpathian Mountains and visit Voronet Monastery. The nine-day trip costs Dh4,265 per person, including accommodation, guiding, most food and internal transport. Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com) flies direct from Dubai to Cluj from Dh322, including taxes. For more information, visit www.gobarefoot.travel.
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support