Author: head dubai

Entertainment Fashion

Dubai Mall is my favourite: Jacqueline Fernandez

head dubai February 25, 2020 No Comments

Jacqueline Fernandez recently professed her love for shopping when she dropped into Dubai for the Global Gift Gala. Other prominent figures in attendance were Eva Langoria, Mona Kattan and Huda Kattan.

Jacqueline whizzed in and out of Dubai as she usually does on her visits to town but we grabbed her for a quick chat about the shopping scene in the city. With the 25th edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival launching today – another festival of unbeatable sales in the leading shopping hub that is Dubai – we wanted to get some shopping tips and fashion advice from the fashionista.

The actress was in the city just last month for the Dabangg The Tour Reloaded and was last seen in the Netflix film Drive alongside Sushant Singh Rajput. Although that movie bombed with critics and fans alike, the actress is not discouraged. She is all excited about reuniting with Salman Khan for Kick 2 following their pairing in the 2014 thriller Kick.

Sitting in a cozy meeting room at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, where the Gala was being held, Jacqueline flaunted a glamorous golden dress by Nicolas Jebran and was poised as she spoke about all things fashion and shopping.

Excerpts from our conversation.

What do you love about Dubai and the shopping scene here?
Dubai is a shopping destination. I’ve been coming here for years. It’s the one place I find that literally has every single option of anything that you could possibly imagine or dream. And it’s just at your fingertips. So that’s what I love most about shopping over here.

Do you have any favourite shopping spots in town? 
The Dubai Mall. I’m always there! I actually don’t venture too far from there because you just find everything in that mall. I do a lot of restaurants. Last time I was here, we did skydiving as well; there’s a lot of adventure sports here that are really cool. Usually I’m in and out, so a few hours here and that’s it.

What are your wardrobe essentials? 
A good pair of jeans, good shirts and good athleisure (wear) like tracks and pants.

Is online shopping taking over the experience of going to the mall and shopping in person?
If you’re going to the mall to try something out and to actually shop, then you might as well try it on. I do a lot of online shopping as well. Stuff comes and sometimes it fits and sometimes it doesn’t fit, so that might be the only negative. It’s great that you buy something and you know it fits and you can wear it immediately. So, I think it’s great to have it both ways. At the same time if you don’t have time to actually physically go to the mall to shop or go to a shop to purchase something, it’s amazing, you can do your shopping on the way to work, you can do your shopping in your bathroom! So I think both worlds are amazing and I’m glad we have the option now as well.

How do you feel about working with Salman Khan again for Kick 2 now that the official word is out? What can we expect from the film?
It’s amazing! It’s always a treat to work with Salman. I’ve been blessed enough to have the opportunity to work with him twice before so this will be my third innings and I’m very excited!

Kick 2 will be a lot more than what Kick 1 was. Yes it has taken a lot of time to write the script because he (Salman) was very sure about one thing, that he had to make it double of what it was in Kick 1. So that I think was the pressure but yes, we’re all very excited to actually take it a notch higher.

Jacqueline’s shopping tips
*Carry a lot of water.
*Make sure you try on everything.
*Take an entire round before purchasing anything. If I’m not sure about anything I’ll take an entire round and I’ll come back to it. If I don’t come back for it that means I was not meant to buy it. If I really love it then I go for it.
*Don’t be too afraid of shopping. If there’s something that you really like and you feel like you’ve earned it and worked hard for it, you should definitely go ahead and splurge on yourself. I think it’s important.

Entertainment

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

head dubai February 25, 2020 No Comments
Little good came out of 2016’s Suicide Squad, but one of its few bright points was Margot Robbie’s anarchic Harley Quinn. Now she gets another shot at the spotlight in this spin-off directed by Cathy Yan, who lets her heroine’s mania guide her through a story that’s scrappy, weird and ultimately very fun.

Quinn has broken up with her long-time beau, the Joker, and now faces a seething Gotham underworld unprotected. She must scramble to survive her enemies, particularly crime kingpin Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), aka Black Mask, and his right-hand man (Chris Messina), introduced via a scene of shocking sadism.

She makes a deal with Roman that should keep her alive but it puts her up against disillusioned cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) and the idealistic Danah Lance/Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), a singer at Roman’s club.

They’re all after a young orphan (Ella Jay Basco as the character who, in the comics, becomes Batgirl). Oh, and someone’s shooting mob guys with a crossbow. The mysterious Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) may or may not be involved.

You’ll need that deep breath you just took, because the film’s first act mirrors Harley’s incoherent, time-hopping narration in its explanations of who’s who and what’s what. But once that is untangled, Birds of Prey is wildly entertaining.

McGregor goes full psycho as Black Mask, all Elton John suits and Skeletor masks. But it’s really the ladies’ show. Robbie’s turn alone warrants this dubious-looking spin-off: her eccentric and unpredictable Quinn is quick to cause destruction but just as instinctive with her affections. She sometimes lapses into psychobabble to remind you that, yes, she’s a trained psychiatrist, but she’s also vulnerable in all sorts of endearing and relatable ways. Winstead has a ton of fun, too, effortlessly mixing menace with cool.

More importantly, Yan steps up to the plate without a trace of the nerves you might expect of a first-time big-budget director. The film’s costumes and design are flamboyantly conceived and the action scenes impress. It takes a long time to get all these heroines to the same place, and some of the violence feels gratuitous and upsetting, but Birds of Prey isn’t interested in hitting all the usual superhero movie beats. It works because we haven’t seen this story a thousand times before, and because it leaves behind the grim-dark posturing of Suicide Squad. It’s nice to see a joker who doesn’t take herself too seriously.

Sports

Four all-new outdoor adventures now open in the UAE

head dubai February 25, 2020 No Comments

The brilliant thing about living in the UAE is that you get two slices of life – the upbeat urban city life and the great outdoors.

And if you’re into outdoor adventure, there are several brand-new activities that have recently opened.

From luxury desert camping to a new Sky Maze of the tallest mountain in the UAE, we’re spoilt for choice. Check out what to put on your to-do list and get on out there.

And, if you fancy going a little off-track for more of a DIY desert camping experience, we’ve got you covered in our essential guide to camping throughout the UAE.

(Although, if you’re after a more glamorous camping experience, click here).

Sonara Camp
Sonara Camp has launched desert dune tents for glammed up overnight stays in a completely untouched part of the Dubai desert, offering up the opportunity to dine and sleep in purely nomadic surroundings. For Dhs1,500, you’ll get a night in a nomadic tent out on the dunes, as well as breakfast the following morning. As for activities, expect camel rides, sandboarding, falconry shows, stargazing and more.

Laguna Waterpark Dubai
It’s the sleepover we’ve always dreamed about when we we’re little and not wanting to leave a waterpark, but now Laguna Waterpark Dubai is making it come true. La Mer’s buzzing waterpark is set to launch The Camp, the region’s first-ever overnight camping experience located within a waterpark. We’re excited. Taking place every Thursday and Friday, the overnight stay kicks off at 5pm, where campers can head straight to the slides, hit up the WaveOZ 180 FlowRider, or choose to tuck into a unlimited barbecue offering everything from burgers to flame-grilled chicken – until 10pm.

Jais Adventure Peak
Think you’ve already conquered the world’s longest zipline at Jebel Jais? There are now plenty more reasons to head up to the UAE’s highest mountain. The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority has officially launched Jais Adventure Peak, a new collection of adventure attractions that includes more ziplines, a viewing deck, adventure centre and an all-new Sky Maze. The attraction features the world’s longest zipline, Jebel Jais Flight, the recently launched seven zipline Jais Sky Tour and a Jebel Jais Viewing Deck Park to check out the scenery.

Science & Tech

VidCon Abu Dhabi announces more YouTube stars for inaugural event

head dubai February 25, 2020 No Comments

The four-day festival, taking place from March 25 to 28 at ADNEC, will bring together fans and creators for a range of attractions, activities, workshops and more.

Fans of online videos can attend Q&As with online stars, attend discussions, performances and interviews.

A host of online stars have signed up to attend, including actor Alex Wassabi, Rawan and Rayan, Brent Riviera, Matt Steffanina, Ranz Kyle and Niana Guerrero, Naz, Lexi Rivera.

Now YouTube star Noor Stars has also been added. Known for her beauty videos, Noor has more than 14 million subscribers on YouTube.

“I am so excited to be part of the first ever VidCon taking place in Abu Dhabi,” said Noor Stars. “It is fantastic to see VidCon coming to the Middle East for the first time, since it’s an incredibly exciting time for online video and social media platforms here.

“It’s going to be great, and I can’t wait to meet you all in Abu Dhabi.”

Twin sisters the Merrell Twins, known for their appearances on TV shows Faking It and Like A Boss, have also been added to the line-up for the event.

Video makers can also benefit from attending by learning to create better content, grow their channel, break into the industry, learn the ins-and-outs of online video and meet fellow creators

Sports

Ras Al Khaimah launches brand-new skate park at Saqr Park

head dubai February 25, 2020 No Comments

If you find performing your signature tricks at the same skate park can be repetitive, it’s time to mix things up at Ras Al Khaimah’s brand-new skate park.

The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority is set to officially open its all-new outdoor attraction located in the largest recreational park, Saqr Park, and it’s putting on quite the launch party.

Kicking off on Thursday February 27 until Saturday February 29, the free-to-attend event will feature skateboarding sessions, music and games for the whole family to enjoy, along with plenty of food stalls.

On Friday, there will be special performances from renowned international skateboarders, including 15-year-old Isabelly Avila, her father Garcia Rodriguez and 13-year-old Virginia Fortes Aguas. Learn a trick or two from these guys.

The three pros will also lead workshops where visitors will have the chance to skate with the pros and pick up stylish techniques, skills and tricks.

Spanning 620sq m, the new skatepark is built within the nature-filled Ghaf tree reserve, boasting plenty of obstacles including a bowl, pyramids, ledges, banks and round rails.

The park brings Ghaf trees into its design, all to ensure the trees are both well protected and provide natural shading. We all know how hot it gets during summer.

The RAK Tourism Development Authority also recently opened up Jais Adventure Peak, boasting new zip-line tours and a new Sky Maze. Check it all out right here.

Uncategorized

Pancake Day 2020: top deals in Dubai

head dubai February 25, 2020 No Comments

Pancake Day is fast approaching, and if you love the breakfast treat, we have good news for you. While it’s always a fantastic to wake up to the smell of batter, if you don’t fancy whipping them up yourself (or your pancake flipping skills aren’t up to much) on Tuesday February 25, Dubai has you covered.

Whether you’re after limited-time flavours and toppings or digging into stacks at a bargain price, you’re in the right place.

And if you fancy something else for brekkie, here are some brilliant breakfasts in Dubai you should definitely check out.

Without further ado, check out the list below and get your pancake fix.

Amongst Few
This one is for the plant-based breakfast fans in Dubai. The seriously cool café has plenty of vegan-friendly dishes, but if you’re visiting for breakfast on Pancake Day, try the banana pancakes. This stack comes sprinkled with blueberries, avocado, passionfruit and dark chocolate shavings and has a healthy dollop of vegan yoghurt to top it off. It’s so photogenic it’s hard to ruin it with the first bite, but it’s worth it.
Dhs49. Open daily 10am-10pm. Palm Strip Mall, Jumeirah Beach Road, www.amongstfew.com (04 386 9221).

Bread Street Kitchen
Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen at Atlantis, The Palm will be celebrating Shrove Tuesday with a menu of pancakes, along with a signature mixed drink pairing to wash it all down with.
From Dhs50. Tue Feb 25, 6pm-10.30pmAtlantis, The Palm, Palm Jumeirah, www.atlantis.com (04 426 2626).

Café Social
Why have just pancake when you can have some waffles added to your plate? Head to Café Social at Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights to take on its ‘Waffle & Pancake Parlour’.  Offering up golden waffles and a stack of mini pancakes with unlimited toppings such as strawberries, ice cream or rizzled chocolate for Dhs25. There’s also the ‘Golden Cents Mini Pancakes’ with strawberries, mixed berries and melted white amd dark chocolate sauce, along with the ‘Row-Your-Boat Waffle’, a triangular waffle topped with cream and drizzled strawberry, chocolate amd caramel.
Dhs25. Tue Feb 25, open 24 hours. Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights, Barsha Heights (04 381 8888).

Clinton St. Baking Company
The famed New York bakery in Dubai is celebrating Pancake Day with not one, but 13 different varieties throughout February. While Pancake Day 2020 might fall on Tuesday February 25, the bakery will be offering an array three-stacked pancakes on a rotating schedule – that means each one is for a limited-time only. Highlights include passion fruit and chocolate, Bavarian apple, strawberry shortbread and plenty more.
Dhs59 (stack of three). Dates vary, 8am-midnight (City Walk); Sun-Thu 10am-midnight, Fri-Sat 10am-1am (The Dubai Mall). Various locations including City Walk; The Dubai Mall, www.clintonstreetbaking.ae.

eggspectation
Buzzing breakfast spot eggspectation is combining its limited-edition pancakes together with its signature one for Dhs30. What does that mean? A huge stack of stack of red velvet, hot chocolate, and original pancakes – all in one. Come hungry for this one.
Dhs30. Tue Feb 25, times vary.Various locations including The Beach, JBR; City Walk; Matajer Mall, Sharjah, www.eggspectation.com.

Fuchsia Urban Thai
The Thai restaurant in Business Bay and Barsha Heights will be serving up their own signature take on pancakes, offering up a stack of coconut pancakes for Dhs25 throughout Pancake Day. All with an Asian twist, expect them to be sprinkled with coconut flakes with pandan custard. Yummy stuff.
Dhs25. Tue Feb 25. Open noon-11pm. Various locations including Two Towers Tecom, Barsha Heights; Bay Square, Business Bay, www.fuchsiame.com.

Mediterranean Kitchen
Mediterranean Kitchen wants to celebrate pancake day with all sorts of pancakes, boasting toffee and banana, peanut butter, brownie, lemon and sugar crepes and of course, classic style. But wait, those who get pancakes will also get a free cup of coffee to sip on. Not a bad deal.
From Dhs50. Tue Feb 25, open daily 10am-midnight. La Mer, www.medkitchen.me (04 557 8335).

Miss Tess Dubai
Miss Tess is pulling out all the stops to not just celebrate Pancake Day, but Pancake Week. Until Saturday February 29, take on all-you-can-eat traditional Asian pancakes for Dhs98. Expect Korean Buchimgae, Japanese Okonomiyaki and Thai Hoi Tod all on the menu, and be sure to take advantage of the happy hour deal drinks between 6pm and 8pm, and 11pm until 2am, where drinks are from Dhs30.
Dhs98. Until Sat Feb 29, 6pm-midnight. Taj Hotel, Business Bay, www.misstessdubai.com (050 498 8505).

Tania’s Teahouse
One of Dubai’s most Instagram-friendly cafés has added a few new dishes to its menu, but with Pancake Day fast approaching, Tania’s Teahouse has also added what they claim to be the prettiest pancake in town. For Dhs45, foodies can tuck into the lotus pancake boasting the venue’s signature buttermilk pancakes with multiple layers of lotus syrup, biscuits and whipped cream.
Dhs45. Open Sun-Wed 8am-10pm, Fri-Sat 9am-10pm. 779A Jumeirah Road, www.taniasteahouse.com (04 324 0021).

Uncategorized

Shaikha Jawaher concludes trip to Pakistan with agreements to empower women

head dubai February 25, 2020 No Comments

Dubai: Sharjah’s Women Adavcement Establishment (NAMA) and UNHCR has signed an agreement to offer sustainable income to female Afghani artisans in refugees camps in Pakistan.

Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of NAMA and UNHCR Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children, has concluded a comprehensive visit to Pakistan. The visit entailed meetings with several entities and institutions in major cities of Islamabad and Lahore, and identifying sectors that will benefit from NAMA’s expertise in women’s capacity-building and enabling them access to sustainable sources of income.

NAMA is a Sharjah-based public non-profit organisation that believes that women are important human capital and works towards advancing them.

A key highlight of Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi’s visit was her witnessing the signing of a partnership agreement between NAMA and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which will offer sustainable income to female Afghani carpet weavers in the city of Quetta in Balochistan, which hosts the second-highest percentage of Afghan refugees.

The agreement signing led by Reem BinKaram, Director of NAMA and Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, UNHCR’s representative in Pakistan, in the presence of Hamad Obaid Al Zaabi, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan.

Under the terms of this partnership agreement, a one-year crafts-led project will be led by Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council (Irthi), an affiliate of NAMA, in collaboration with UNHCR to benefit 100 women — including 70 Afghani women refugees and 30 women from the host community of Quetta, who will be commissioned by Irthi to create carpets bearing motifs that reflect the richness and diversity of Emirati culture and heritage. The designs will be exclusive to Irthi.

Pakistan hosts more than 1.4 million registered Afghans who have been forced to flee their homes, of which 68 per cent are women. Among these women, around 22 per cent fall in the 18 — 59 years age category.

“In these numbers, Sharjah and NAMA identified a pressing need for vocational training, livelihood creation and socioeconomic empowerment,” Sheikha Jawaher noted, adding, “Even as the global humanitarian crisis touches an unprecedented extreme, I believe there is something each of us can do, especially with regard to women as, world over, they are disproportionately affected by war, crisis and displacement.”

This six-day visit to Pakistan is reflective of Sheikha Jawaher’s unparalleled promptness in acting on the pledge His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, took last December at the Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Summit 2019, asserting he would, “personally support programmes and efforts to empower women around the world, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America”.

Sheikha Jawaher said: “At NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, all our efforts are geared towards the creation of an equitable world for women. True human empowerment is achieved when our willingness to uplift those in need is not perceived as a choice, but practised as a way of life. This is what Pakistan has done for the past 40 years with regards to offering asylum to Afghan refugees. We cannot be reluctant in our response to assisting nations who have been facing the challenges and consequences large-scale humanitarian crises, such as Pakistan.”

Irthi conducted a feasibility study in the lead up to the signing to determine ways to achieve maximum impact from the project, and a framework for implementation was agreed upon by both entities.

100 women support

“With 100 women and their families who will be benefited by this programme, NAMA seeks to expand the outreach of its sustainable solutions designed and implemented to make women self-reliant and gain permanent livelihood opportunities. With such targeted programmes, we will continue building the resilience of women living in the most challenging of circumstances and advance their role as key human resources,” she added.

Business

Nearly half of UAE expats have no plans for financial security

head dubai February 25, 2020 No Comments

Dubai: Nearly half (45 per cent) of expat employees in the UAE either have no plans to ensure an adequate standard of living after retirement or plan to work beyond the retirement age to ensure continued income, said a new study.

According to a ‘2020 UAE Security and Savings’ survey by global consultancy, Mercer, a lack of financial awareness among respondents with 61 per cent reporting no long-term savings at all and 43 percent expecting their end of service benefits to meet their long-term financial needs.

“The number of expat employees in the UAE who are not prepared financially for retirement is very concerning. Employees must understand that the current end of service benefits are far from enough to ensure an adequate standard of living post-retirement,” said Tarek Zouiten, Retirement Business Leader at Mercer UAE

Under the current programme, serving a company for 25 years will only provide two years of basic salary, however, an average person will need 12 times their total salary to maintain a decent standard of living post-retirement.

“Ensuring UAE expats are better prepared for post-retirement challenges will require a fundamental mind shift among employees which can be achieved with financial education and progressive regulations like the DIFC Employees Workplace Savings Plan (DEWS) recently employed in DIFC,” said Zouiten.

Politics

UAE leaders greet Amir of Kuwait on National Day

head dubai February 25, 2020 No Comments

The leaders expressed wishes of prosperity and progress to Kuwait and its people.

The President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Amir of Kuwait, on the occasion of his country’s National Day and Liberation Day celebrations.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, also sent similar greetings to the Amir of Kuwait.