ABU DHABI // As Adel Enzo's falcon soared away from him during a hunt several years ago, something in his stomach told him he would not see her again.
The bird, named Diat, "was just about the most beautiful falcon I had, and it hurt to lose her," he said. Mr Enzo, who owns 20 falcons and bought another this weekend at the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (Adihex), now attaches a tiny transmitter to his birds while training them. "I would never let them go without one, because there's a good chance I will lose them forever," he said. Almost all the other trainers he knows also use the devices.
The next development, though, is just around the corner: global positioning satellite systems. Marshall Radio Telemetry, the American company that sold Mr Enzo his transmitters, expects to have GPS devices available within the next year. The main hurdle, according to Robert Bagley, the president of Marshall, is making the sophisticated equipment small enough for the falcon to carry easily. The current transmitters weigh nine grams and are entwined in the bird's tail feathers, on the back of its neck or attached to its leg. The trainer uses a tracking receiver that beeps more rapidly as the range narrows.
The transmitters have a range of 60km, and a battery that lasts for six to 10 days. They sell for Dh1,300 each, while the receiver costs about Dh4,500. After the falcon launches toward its prey, the trainer has to locate the bird before it finishes its meal and flies off on another hunt. Often enough, the falcon fades into the distance after leaving the trainer's arm. He then has to scramble to reunite with the bird in time.
Ali bin Hassan, a telecommunications engineer from Bahrain, has been using the transmitters for about nine years. He has 106 falcons, 19 of which he trains every day. He has never lost a falcon, but once came close. It took him three days to find the bird, having to stop his car every 200 to 300 metres and climb on the roof to pick up a good read on the receiver. "He took the wind, crossing rivers and mountains, and I didn't know if I would see him again," he said. "It took so long to realise whether he was 3km away or 10km away, if he went east or west. Much time was wasted."
A GPS system "will take the guessing out and make it much easier to find," he said. However, GPS devices demand far more power, making them either heavy or short-lived. Another obstacle is the availability of mapping data and global coordinates in remote desert areas, where falcons are often flown. "We have to find the perfect balance of the smallest, the lightest, the farthest range and the most reliable piece of equipment," Mr Bagley said.
"The current technology may not be as convenient as GPS, but it allows enough time to find the falcon, and that's the most important thing." Trainers who opt not to use transmitters "don't allow their birds to get strong," Mr bin Hassan said. "I can give my falcons vitamins and hope they can fly long and far, as long as I know I can find them eventually. They do not return to you like a loyal dog. It's up to you as a falcon owner to bring them back home," he added.
He has managed to train birds to wait next to their kill until he arrives - but only a few. Even for them, he uses transmitters just in case. "I spend more time with my birds than with my own family," he said. "They understand my sound and my steps, and I can't bear to imagine them out in the world without me." Last night, Adihex came to a close after a series of exhibits that included weapons displays, a saluki beauty contest, a coffee brewing competition and 100 falcons donated by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, President of the UAE.
One of the last events was the final of the "smooth" category of the Saluki Beauty Contest. Azir, owned by Ahmed Salem al Tunaiji, won Best in Show in the male category, while Arda, owned by Mahammed Massoud, won the same award among the females.
econroy@thenational.ae
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 3 (Abraham 11', 17', 74')
Luton Town 1 (Clark 30')
Man of the match Abraham (Chelsea)
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Celtic Prince, David Liska (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).
7.05pm: Conditions Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Commanding, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
7.40pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Grand Argentier, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 2,200m
Winner: Arch Gold, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed Dh265,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
9.25pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Ibn Malik, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
10pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
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.
Leap of Faith
Michael J Mazarr
Public Affairs
Dh67
Abu Dhabi card
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,400m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 2,200m
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
The National selections:
5pm: Valcartier
5.30pm: AF Taraha
6pm: Dhafra
6.30pm: Maqam
7pm: AF Mekhbat
7.30pm: Ezz Al Rawasi
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals
2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25