The Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel and Resort has an "all you can eat and drink" offer during live telecasts of World Cup games.
The Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel and Resort has an "all you can eat and drink" offer during live telecasts of World Cup games.

Watching World Cup action, simply Serengeti or destination Durban



Take advantage of the special World Cup deals put together by various hotels for a summer full of excitement. The Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort will telecast all the major World Cup matches that start at 6pm and 10.30pm on a large screen by the resort's pool (entrance is free). Guests can avail of the hotel's "all you can eat and drink" package, valid during game screenings and priced at US$53 (Dh195) per person. Those who come dressed in their national colours get the chance to win a coupon for three drinks.

The Tavern, the hotel pub, will also show all live World Cup matches. Until the semifinals, guests get to participate in the Daily Raffle Draw by guessing the game score. The winner gets a complimentary beverage and a snack platter for the next game. To enter the Grand Raffle Draw (it runs until the quarterfinals), guests must predict the World Cup champions. The prize is two tickets from Austrian Airlines.

The World Cup room packages include single rooms from $162 (Dh595) and double rooms from from Dh795. Visit www.sheratonabudhabihotel.com for screening schedules. For more information, call 02 667 3333. Al Ain Rotana will screen live matches in a specially designed outdoor arena with an extra-long bar. The promotion includes various activities, limited edition club T-shirts, games and much more. Valid from June 11 to July 11.

For more information, call 03 703 1114 or visit www.rotana.com

Watch the migration of wildebeest from Tanzania's new Serengeti Soroi Lodge. Set to open on Tuesday, the lodge sits on a remote hill in the western corridor of Serengeti National Park, providing an excellent vantage point from which to catch all the action. Guests can choose from 25 wood-floored chalets. Each chalet has an en suite bathroom that features a Turkish bath and an outdoor shower that offers stunning views of the Musabi plains 100 metres below. The lodge also offers many facilities, including an infinity rock pool with a waterfall and a Nomadic African Spa (guests can ask to have their treatments in the privacy of their chalet or on the balcony). Serengeti Soroi can be accessed by daily flights landing at the Seronera Airstrip, private charters or self-driven vehicles. The lodge lies about 68 kilometres from the airstrip. Prices start from $485 (Dh1,780) per person per night based on two people sharing.

The 10-night "Best of Remote Tanzania" package costs from $7,158 (Dh26,290) per person based on two people sharing and includes three nights at Serengeti Soroi Lodge, three nights at Katavi Bush Lodge and four nights at Kungwe Beach Lodge in Mahale. This includes game drives and a walking safari in Katavi National Park (Tanzania's third-largest national reserve), chimpanzee tracking, a fishing trip, snorkelling and kayaking at Mahale. Prices include park and camp fees, soft drinks, laundry at all lodges and airstrip transfers. Valid from June 1 to December 31, 2010. For more information, visit www.kamili.co.uk. Return flights on Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dubai to to Dar es Salaam cost from $840 (Dh3,085) including taxes.

Head to South Africa and spend four nights at the Oyster Box Hotel in Durban for the price of three.

Situated right on the edge of the Indian Ocean, The Oyster Box hotel was named by Conde Nast Traveler as one of this year's "hot hotels". The Stay 4 Pay 3 package costs from $900 (Dh3,300) per person, based on double occupancy in a Classic room. The price includes accommodation, daily breakfast, airport transfers and taxes. The offer excludes stays during the Fifa World Cup (June 6 to July 13) and cannot be combined with any other discount. Valid for visits from now until October 31.

Guests can choose to complete their African adventure by adding to their itinerary a three-night big game safari in KwaZulu Natal province. Go bird-watching (there are more than 400 species to train your binoculars on) and wildlife tracking (look out for lions, cheetah and hyena), and enjoy a two-hour cruise in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, formerly known as St Lucia Park. Declared a World Heritage Site in 1999, iSimangaliso consists of 13 protected areas teeming with wild antelope, crocodiles and hippos, and a variety of waterfowl, including spectacular colonies of pelicans, herons and terns.

The Safari package includes three nights in luxury tents at the five-star Private Game Lodge, transfer from the Oyster Box via an air-conditioned vehicle, all meals (breakfast, lunch, high tea and dinner with house wine), the services of a certified guide and driver, a specialist wildlife guide, game drives in an open vehicle, Zulu dancing and a Boma dinner (a traditional African barbecue), a boat cruise on the St Lucia estuary, all entrance fees and airport transfers.

Until June 7, double rooms cost from $1,570 (Dh5,763) per person based on two people sharing. From July 14 to September 30, double rooms cost $875 (Dh3,213). For more information, visit www.oysterboxhotel.com and www.safarisforafrica.co.za

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega

Director: Tim Burton

Rating: 3/5

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Company%20Profile
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Book%20Details
%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EThree%20Centuries%20of%20Travel%20Writing%20by%20Muslim%20Women%3C%2Fem%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEditors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiobhan%20Lambert-Hurley%2C%20Daniel%20Majchrowicz%2C%20Sunil%20Sharma%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EIndiana%20University%20Press%3B%20532%20pages%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO

Borussia Dortmund 0

Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')

Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

PRISCILLA
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if you go

The flights

Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.

The hotel

Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850

 Events and tours

There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com

For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art. 

More information

For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com

Company%20profile
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Inside%20Out%202
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EKelsey%20Mann%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Amy%20Poehler%2C%20Maya%20Hawke%2C%20Ayo%20Edebiri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

On sale: Now

Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows

Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.

Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.

The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.

After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.

The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.

The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.

But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.

It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.

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Five expert hiking tips
    Always check the weather forecast before setting off Make sure you have plenty of water Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon Wear appropriate clothing and footwear Take your litter home with you
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Rating: 2.5/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed

Based: Muscat

Launch year: 2018

Number of employees: 40

Sector: Online food delivery

Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception 

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Director: Venkat Prabhu
Rating: 2/5