Having a folding umbrella in your bag when you travel will make you feel very pleased with yourself when the rain starts to fall, as it mostly likely will in northern Europe or anywhere with a monsoon season. If you don't take the precaution of investing now in a decent, sturdily made number, you risk finding yourself at the mercy of street umbrella salesmen who appear to sell salvation and protection but actually dispense infuriating rubbish that blows inside out and snaps soon after you've handed over your Dh30.
Swaine Adeney Brigg collapsible travel umbrella
For the man who suspects there is something unmanly about a compact umbrella comes this: a full-length (90cm) umbrella that can be dismantled for travel. With the handle removed, it measures 65cm, and thus can be tucked into a suitcase, then suavely put together as required.
£241 (Dh1,405) plus p&p (www.mrporter.com; 00 44 203 471 4090).
Miss Marc printed compact umbrella
You can find plenty of compact umbrellas in different patterns on Amazon, many made by Fulton, the world's leading umbrella manufacturer, for around Dh85. For something a bit more chic, though, such as this by the ever-clever Marc for Marc Jacobs, Net-a-Porter can always be relied on.
£35 (Dh204) plus p&p (www.net-a-porter.com; 00 44 203 471 4510).
Black handfinished automatic umbrella
A classic black umbrella has the virtue of going with everything, and, whether you're man or woman, merits a place in your everyday bag when you travel. As well as a wood handle, this has one of those satisfying spring locks that has to be just lightly pressed for it to leap into action.
£85 (Dh495) plus p&p (www.aspinaloflondon.com; 00 44 142 864 8180).
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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The%20Roundup%20%3A%20No%20Way%20Out
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The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
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.
Company%20Profile
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
SPECS
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The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
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