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The National
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- The National
Best photos of April 23: Fire in Manila to the Auto Shanghai show
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes Premier League-standard football pitch 400m Olympic running track NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium 600-seat auditorium Spaces for historical and cultural exploration An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad Specialist robotics and science laboratories AR and VR-enabled learning centres Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists. Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai. Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic English Premiership semi-finals Saracens 57 Wasps 33 Exeter Chiefs 36 Newcastle Falcons 5 The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness More than 90 per cent live in developing countries The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000 Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000 Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000 Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000 Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham Rating: 3.5/5 Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer. 'First, are they happy with that or do they want more?' he says. 'Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.' Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective. Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment. 'You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,' he says. 'You've got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don't like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.' For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent. 'However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.' Creator: Mike White Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell Rating: 4.5/5 Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month. The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said. Dubai's real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate's total property transactions, according to the DLD. THE SPECS 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode Power: 121hp Torque: 142Nm Price: Dh95,900 %3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2011%20Bit%20Studios%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Odd%20Meter%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%205%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20series%20X%2FS%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A Global events: Much of the UK's economic woes were blamed on 'increased global uncertainty', which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump's tariffs. Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise '£6.5bn per year' for the public purse Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances The Transfiguration Director: Michael O'Shea Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine Three stars Name: Xpanceo Started: 2018 Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov Based: Dubai, UAE Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality Funding: $40 million Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia) Updated: April 23, 2025, 9:45 AM
BBC News
17-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Returning loanees and academy talents reasons to be positive for future'
We asked for your views on what no one is talking about at Southampton, but should are some of your comments:Alex: Mateus Fernandes. He has been absolutely unbelievable this season, with some top European clubs set to certainly look at his services this summer. He has been the only shining light in the Saints' We have only scored 23 goals! It's no wonder we are rock bottom. Che Adams was not prolific, but he had more of presence than any of our current crop of attack-minded players. Rebuild from scratch, in my opinion, promotion back to the Premier League next season is a pipe dream. The squad has been ruined by awful recruitment and a succession of flawed managers. Hearing Jack Stephens saying he will do everything he can to get promotion, forget it Jack, you are one of many who need to People feel like our squad is going to get pulled apart now, and we will lose some of our better performing Premier League-standard players, but we also have a number of loanees returning who have the potential to boost our promotion chances next year. Edozie and Bazunu will return following time in Belgium, Shea Charles has been a shining light in a play-off pushing Sheffield Wednesday team and Ronnie Edwards is coming back from QPR with more Championship experience at centre-back. With some signings, we give ourselves a top chance at promotion with a young squad that will already boast significant playing times and match Our Under-18s are top of their league and the Under-21s are faring well in PL2. Amidst the turmoil of the first team, hopefully there's at least a return to the academy of old that churned out future stars and prodigies. Graduates like Lallana, Walcott, Bale and Oxlade-Chamberlain can be joined by O'Brien-Whitmarsh, Ballard and Bragg. Robinson making his debut at the weekend was another small positive amongst the overwhelming negatives this season has dealt Saints fans. Hopefully the return of the prestigious Southampton academy can pave the way for a return to the successes enjoyed a decade ago. This time, we just need to figure a way to repel the inevitable advances of top-six clubs to keep these players. With FFP rules in place, I don't hold out much hope for that either.
BBC News
12-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Birmingham win League One title after Wrexham draw
Birmingham City are champions of League One after Wrexham failed to win their lunchtime game at secured promotion in midweek with a 2-1 win at Peterborough and the Red Dragons' failure to take three points at the Brick Community Stadium in their goalless draw at Wigan Athletic sees Birmingham lift a league title for the first time since they won the old Second Division in Welsh side were the only team capable of catching Chris Davies' side, who are not in league action this Birmingham squad is in London this weekend ahead of Sunday's Vertu Trophy final, also against Peterborough, and which they also last won in 1995, under Barry 40,000 fans are expected to head for Wembley after celebrating the title triumph, an achievement which caps a dominant season in which Birmingham returned to the Championship at the first time of triumph further justifies the £25m outlay on transfers by owners Knighthead, who are also funding a new Premier League-standard stadium a mile from their current home at St Andrew's. Rebuild success The club set a new third-tier record by signing England Under-21 international Jay Stansfield for an eight-figure sum, and also brought in Christoph Klarer and Willum Thor Willumsson for big fees to bolster a squad relegated from the Championship last rebuild has been a success with 18-goal Stansfield currently joint top-scorer in the division, while Klarer has been central to Blues having the best defensive record in the division and Willumsson has been a key figure in appointment of Davies to his first senior role also raised some eyebrows in the summer, but that has also proved a success. Victory tomorrow will see him lift two trophies at the end of his first season as a now director of football at Peterborough, said that he believes the Blues will emulate Ipswich Town last season by going straight up again, to return to the Premier League for the first time since title charge has been based largely on their superb unbeaten home record, with 18 wins and three draws in the 21 games at St Andrew's so has been little doubt from the start that Birmingham would be in the promotion reckoning, as they won eight of their first nine and then went on an 18-match unbeaten run from November 4 to March has meant they have won the title with six games still remaining, with their next match at home against Crawley Town on Friday.
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Fry backs Birmingham to reach Premier League next season
Barry Fry has backed Birmingham City to pull off consecutive promotions and return to the Premier League for the first time since Peterborough United football director watched from the stands as the club he managed to the League Two title and Football League Trophy double in 1995 clinched promotion back to the Championship with a 2-1 win at London his own team's defeat, Fry declared himself delighted at Birmingham's success after a relegation last season had followed years of uncertainty and Blues' dominant season sees them return to the Championship at the first time of asking after new owners Knighthead invested heavily in the squad, and with a new Premier League-standard stadium in the pipeline, just a mile from their current home at St Andrew's, Fry says the revival is ongoing."Birmingham City are the best team in the division by a mile," he said. "They're the richest club, they've got a fanbase that everybody would die for, and they have an owner that gives them financial stability now."The recruitment they've done, especially with their manager Chris Davies, is absolutely top drawer. "I tip them to go again, back-to-back promotions, that's how ambitious they are. The stadium at St Andrew's ain't big enough to get all the Bluenoses in - that's why the owner is building a new one."Knighthead funded a squad thought to be the most expensive in the history of English football's third tier, headed by the three most expensive transfers at that level in striker Jay Stansfield, centre-back Christoph Klarer and attacking midfielder Willum Thor splurge has paid off hugely, with Brum securing promotion with five games to spare and also booking a Wembley date against Peterborough in the final of the EFL Trophy on a shaky start to their tenure, when they sacked John Eustace with Birmingham sixth in the Championship, and appointed Wayne Rooney - who took them to the brink of relegation - Knighthead have won over the fans by backing their commitment with hard who turned 80 this week and is still celebrated by Blues fans, said he was pleased to see the upturn in fortunes at his old said: "I'm so happy for the Bluenoses, because they've been in turmoil for so, so long, not knowing who the owner is, or where their club is going, but they've 'kept right on', as the song says. Brilliant fans."
The National
09-03-2025
- Science
- The National
Best photos of March 9: From Ramadan food aid to a skiing marathon in Switzerland
%3Cp%3EFirst%20ODI%20-%20Sunday%2C%20June%204%20%0D%3Cbr%3ESecond%20ODI%20-%20Tuesday%2C%20June%206%20%0D%3Cbr%3EThird%20ODI%20-%20Friday%2C%20June%209%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMatches%20at%20Sharjah%20Cricket%20Stadium.%20All%20games%20start%20at%204.30pm%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20squad%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMuhammad%20Waseem%20(captain)%2C%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20Adithya%20Shetty%2C%20Ali%20Naseer%2C%20Ansh%20Tandon%2C%20Aryansh%20Sharma%2C%20Asif%20Khan%2C%20Basil%20Hameed%2C%20Ethan%20D%E2%80%99Souza%2C%20Fahad%20Nawaz%2C%20Jonathan%20Figy%2C%20Junaid%20Siddique%2C%20Karthik%20Meiyappan%2C%20Lovepreet%20Singh%2C%20Matiullah%2C%20Mohammed%20Faraazuddin%2C%20Muhammad%20Jawadullah%2C%20Rameez%20Shahzad%2C%20Rohan%20Mustafa%2C%20Sanchit%20Sharma%2C%20Vriitya%20Aravind%2C%20Zahoor%20Khan%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A 1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull 2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight 3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge 4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own 5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes Premier League-standard football pitch 400m Olympic running track NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium 600-seat auditorium Spaces for historical and cultural exploration An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad Specialist robotics and science laboratories AR and VR-enabled learning centres Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis. One of the organisation's goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030. The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations. Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries. It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat. On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move. Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies. %3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zack%20Snyder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sofia%20Boutella%2C%20Charlie%20Hunnam%2C%20Ed%20Skrein%2C%20Sir%20Anthony%20Hopkins%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A %3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rusty%20Cundieff%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJosh%20Hutcherson%2C%20Morgan%20Freeman%2C%20Greg%20Germann%2C%20Lovie%20Simone%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A %3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20JustClean%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20with%20offices%20in%20other%20GCC%20countries%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202016%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20160%2B%20with%2021%20nationalities%20in%20eight%20cities%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20online%20laundry%20and%20cleaning%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2430m%20from%20Kuwait-based%20Faith%20Capital%20Holding%20and%20Gulf%20Investment%20Corporation%3C%2Fp%3E%0A 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 1970 October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership. 1971 March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and 'strongly supports' the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates. July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE. July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement. August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year. August 15: Bahrain becomes independent. September 3: Qatar becomes independent. November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE. November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force. November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed. December 9: UAE joins the United Nations. %3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5-litre%2C%20twin-turbo%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E410hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E495Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Estarts%20from%20Dh495%2C000%20(Dh610%2C000%20for%20the%20F-Sport%20launch%20edition%20tested)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003. She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer. She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later. The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014. She was held in her native country a year later. The flights There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai ( and Wizz Air ( from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively. The trip Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours. The trip was organised by Bulguides ( which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip. Updated: March 09, 2025, 3:14 PM
