The US issued an emergency order yesterday grounding all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 aircraft “effective immediately,” in the wake of the crash of an Ethiopian Airliner that killed 157 people, President Donald Trump said. Many nations had already...

he Special Olympics World Games kicks off in Abu Dhabi today with the ultimate aim of leaving a lasting legacy on UAE society. Coming here as part of the UAE’s commitment to promote inclusivity as a priority within its National Vision 2021, the Games...

Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office, showcased the best of Dubai’s coffee sector at the Amsterdam Coffee Festival in the Dutch capital recently. [Wired by: DubaiCityGuide.com - A Cyber Gear Company]

The case of the British academic Matthew Hedges, like mine, shows the British government must take a much harder line

In criticising the British government for not doing enough to help her husband, the academic Matthew Hedges, Daniela Tejada is not alone. She joins a long list of victims and their families who assumed the British government would go into bat for them, only to be sorely disappointed.

Related: I was tortured in Dubai prison, claims former Leeds United chief David Haigh

This is an unpleasantly graphic story to quote extensively from, but the response of UAE authorities is relevant and disturbing:

In a statement to ABC News, the UAE Ministry of the Interior said it had reviewed the tape and acknowledged the involvement of Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan, brother of the country's crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed.

"The incidents depicted in the video tapes were not part of a pattern of behavior," the Interior Ministry's statement declared.

The Minister of the Interior is also one of Sheikh Issa's brother.

The government statement said its review found "all rules, policies and procedures were followed correctly by the Police Department."

That someone born into immeasurable wealth and luxury could commit an act of such inhuman depravity over "a grain delivery" is beyond words. That this man is the son of the late Sheikh Zayed is, for all of us who loved and admired Zayed and greatly mourned his death, a exceedingly bitter pill to swallow.


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Receives CSR Environmental Award from Emirates Environmental Group

With more than 16 years of hospitality experience, Najib Kalouch has joined Radisson Blu Martinez, Beirut as head chef

Is it all aboard or abandon ship at this family-friendly Friday feast?

The QE2 was known it is sailing heyday for lavish spreads and luxe dinner parties, but now it’s anchored in Dubai, how does its Friday brunch measure up to its high reputation?

The three-and-a-half hour package runs from 12.30pm until 4pm, taking place at the floating hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, Lido. The space itself is pretty simple, with accents of light green furnishings brightening an otherwise pretty plain restaurant space.

It’s already almost full when we arrive, with long tables filled with families already piling there plates. The buffet selection is brilliant, with everything from seafood and salads to made to order pasta, Asian dishes and a live carving station. The dishes are constantly being stocked up by dozens of chefs, and the layout is clear enough that you can move around everything with ease.

The seafood is fresh, salads are varied, and we have to go back for seconds of the traditional roast dinner, with a choice of chicken or beef and fluffy Yorkshire puddings the star of the show.

Dessert is a real highlight. There’s so much choice our eyes don’t know where to look, and between an assortment of mini pastries and cakes there’s also an ice cream machine, chocolate fountain hot homemade apple crumble, a rich chocolate pudding and the best eton mess we’ve eaten since arriving in Dubai

Service is faultless – staff are friendly and a team of waiters and waitresses are always on hand to clear away plates and top up glasses.

The live entertainment is a bit hit and miss, with one singer stronger than the second. But, song choices are popular with brunch goers and many are dancing along with little ones by the time the third set kicks in.

It’s a brilliant option for families, with a huge play area adjacent to the restaurant housing all the toys and playhouses little ones could need for a fun-filled afternoon.

While it’s an indoor-only restaurant, as brunch progresses, guests drift outside towards the downstairs deck, and we only wish we were able to enjoy the alfresco setting more. We’ve since been advised that this will soon open up for the Friday brunch seating, which would definitely bring us back.

Lido restaurant, QE2 Dubai, Port Rashid, Dubai, Fridays 12.30pm to 4pm, Dhs225 soft, Dhs395 house. qe2.com

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Emirates 24/7 business changed to Emirates 24/7 few months ago and has many offbeat stories embracing yellow journalism. Is this shift helping Emirates 24? www.emirates247.com/offbeat

The retro hangout on Sheikh Zayed Road will be missed…

House Party Bar is the latest closure on the Dubai nightlife scene, having ceased operation earlier this month. House Party Bar opened in July 2018 in took over a large portion of Cirque Le Soir nightclub, which also closed at the start of March.

We were big fans of the Sheikh Zayed Road bar, which broke the mould of uber-luxe new nightlife concepts when it made red cups and cheesy hits acceptable again when it threw open its doors eight months ago.

Cleverly split into a series of rooms, the retro hangout featured a games room complete with beer pong and table football upstairs, adjacent to the children’s playroom, where revelers could dive into a neat ball pit.

Downstairs, the kitchen, a living room, astro-turfed garden, bedroom and even a bathroom frequently filled up with partygoers eager to take advantage of the brilliant happy hour, ladies’ night and post-brunch drink deals taking place throughout the week.

At the moment, we’re not sure what will replace House Party Bar, but we’re advised that a new concept will be launching in the coming months.

But as we say goodbye to another nightlife venue, we say hello to a handful of new ones. Set to open tonight, Wednesday March 13 is legendary Lebanese nightlife venue Sky Bar, which will operate under the name Sky2.0 in Dubai. While in DIFC, the hotly-anticipated Mantis is set to open its doors on Friday March 15, promising complimentary canapes and cocktails for all guests on arrival. Ahead of its arrival, we’ve had a first look inside – check it out here.

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I was alerted to a new website yesterday: authonomy.com. It's run by publishers HarperCollins, and lets authors upload samples of their work and then suffer utter humiliation by being reviewed by other members of the site. Each month, the top five manuscripts are promised a perusal by HarperCollins editors. Cool idea, methinks.

I signed up yesterday and uploaded about 12,000 words of my book (10,000 is the minimum for you to have your work made public, but it's an achingly difficult process to upload the stuff - you have to make each chapter into a separate Word file, and the upload process frequently falls over for no apparent reason).

So get on over there and say nice things about my book.