He sat for a long time in the car park, reluctant to leave the comfort of the air conditioning and staring through the windscreen at the forbidding white walls of the embassy compound. He watched the familiar flag, stirring reproachfully in the warm breeze that blew in off the creek, and despite himself - despite everything that had happened - he felt something stir deep inside.
In the rearview mirror he could see the gaudily decorated pleasure dhows moored at the quay. He despised the tourists for whom they represented the quintessential holiday experience, but right now he could think of nothing he would rather be doing than setting off for a sail in their company.
He found the wish transforming itself into something else and quickly cut it off. For a moment, he had almost forgotten himself; there could be no more making deals with Him. "I hate you," he whispered the old mantra. "I hate you as though you actually exist."
After Berlin, Havana and Panama he had known there could be no going back and, like others before, he had sought the anonymity of a bustling, cosmopolitan city far from home. Dubai had swallowed him readily enough but in his heart he had always known this day would come and, now that it had, the blow had fallen as a welcome coup de grâce. There was no outrunning the past. Escape to a desert, as his old Cambridge tutor used to say, and the silence shouts in your ear.
He had lived expecting the worst - a traffic accident; a 3am knock on the door; something evil detaching itself from the shadows in a lonely back street. His life had been lived braced for any or all of these things, but the apparently innocuous invitation had taken him by surprise.
He had pored over it endlessly, looking for clues, struggling to mobilise his once spritely but now arthritic skills.
"The Consul General would like to invite you to a morning tea at the Embassy..."
Morning tea? He frowned. Any Englishman worth his lapsang souchong knew perfectly well that tea was an afternoon affair.
With that thought, distracting fragments of a half-remembered poem floated up from where his soul had once been. "Would I were in Grantchester... Stands the church clock at 10 to three? And is there honey still for tea?"
He stifled the painful image, forcing himself to concentrate.
"The focus of this event will be a presentation on 'A Day in the Life of a Consular Officer', which will give an insight into the types of difficulties that British nationals can get into in Dubai and what you can do to help keep you and your family safe ... "
He had to smile. It was a little heavy-handed, but old Smiley's people hadn't lost their touch. But what, after all this time, did they want from him? Were they offering redemption behind those walls - or something altogether more deserved?
Taking a deep breath and casting a lingering glance back towards the carefree creek, he strolled with false conviction towards the unmarked metal gate. It was already slightly open, as though he were expected, and he stepped inside. Immediately, a suffocating sensation he thought he had left behind on the Templehof runway flooded back. Not for the first time since he had run away from the Circus, he missed the comforting bulge of the Walther PPK, with its promise of a "delivery like a brick through a plate-glass window".
Instinctively, he looked around for cover, noted possible lines of retreat and scanned the rooftops of the embassy buildings, but when he saw the two smiling women sitting at a table set up across the path ahead he knew there was now no going back.
"Here's your badge," said one breezily, after the other had checked his passport and found his name on a list. "Oh, and don't forget to collect your fun quiz sheet!"
Quiz? A wry smile played on his lips. So that's what they were calling Control's little "chats" these days.
He scanned the first few questions and "Fun" didn't seem to come into it. "Which of the following can you be arrested for in the UAE… How many years is the minimum sentence for possession of illegal drugs… If you are arrested in the UAE, which three of the following can Consular staff do for you?"
Still, he mused; give them the answers they were looking for and he might even win a 16GB iPad.
The path led to a garden at the back of the consular section and he found himself stumbling into what appeared to be a church fête. Instantly he was transported to a long-ago summer's day at the vicarage in Berkhamsted. Men in blazers and women in floral dresses stood around in the sunlight, sipping tea from HM china cups, scattering crumbs of carrot cake on the lush lawn and chatting to the smattering of dark-suited bright-eyed Foreign Office types who moved smoothly among them.
All that was missing were the hats and the bash-the-rat stall.
Patriotic Englishmen, he sneered to himself; been here for years. But which of them was our man in Dubai? He scanned the crowd as people began moving towards the seats that had been set out on the grass in front of a daïs and a microphone. Suddenly, a voice boomed out from the loudspeakers.
"Hello, my name's Guy Warrington," said a cheerful, stocky man in a grey suit. He seemed affable enough, but looked as though he could handle himself in a scrum. "I'm the consul-general here and I'd like to welcome you all to this event."
Good trade-craft. Anyone watching the gates would register a lone visitor. Invite a couple of hundred and suddenly everyone's invisible.
"The reason you've all been invited is because you have registered with the British Embassy; please encourage all your fellow Brits to do the same and they too may get an invitation.
"We are," Warrington continued, "also looking at the way we communicate with the British community. At the moment we do it by means of e-mail - and if you've not been getting our regular newsletter, please tell us - but we're also starting to look at other forms of communication and social media, such as Facebook…"
Dead-drops too much trouble these days, he supposed. It was one way to bring a chap in from the cold, but it would have taken rather more than an e-mail and a couple of tweets to have got Alec Leamas back up and over that wall.
The objective of today, Warrington was saying, was "to explain our consular services, what we can and cannot do, because sometimes I think it's not clear to everybody… and to talk to you about some of the difficulties British nationals have got into in the UAE, and how to avoid them..."
Fat lot of good consular services had done old Leamas. He wandered away, heading for the tea stall, but before he could reach it a woman appeared from nowhere, cutting him off from the plate of chocolate fudge cake he had had his eye on. Here it comes, he thought. The punchline.
"Hello," she said, brightly. "This is for you."
In her outstretched hand she was holding what appeared to be a jute shopping bag, which on one side bore the legend "British Embassy Dubai" in large letters. A little obvious, he felt. Then she turned the bag over and he finally got the message.
"Do respect local laws and customs," it said. "Do 'Know Before You Go'. Do research your destination." And there was more: "Don't dress or behave inappropriately. Don't drink and drive. Don't do drugs."
All sound advice - if only he'd been given it before that unpleasantness on Albrecht-Dürer-Strasse. Still, he'd been young, and it was the Sixties.
Out on the street, he tried not to look back as he walked steadily towards the car. It was only February but already the first breaths of summer were wafting in from the desert. It had been stifling in the embassy garden and he was grateful to be able to slip off his jacket, start the engine and feel the air-conditioning come to life.
It was, in fact, good to be back in the cold.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Selected fixtures
All times UAE
Wednesday
Poland v Portugal 10.45pm
Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
Netherlands v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Denmark 10.45pm
Sunday
Poland v Italy 10.45pm
Monday
Spain v England 10.45pm
Tuesday
France v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Wales 10.45pm
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
Chris%20Jordan%20on%20Sanchit
%3Cp%3EChris%20Jordan%20insists%20Sanchit%20Sharma%20will%20make%20an%20impact%20on%20the%20ILT20%2C%20despite%20him%20starting%20the%20campaign%20on%20Gulf%20Giants'%20bench.%3Cbr%3EThe%20young%20UAE%20seamer%20was%20an%20instant%20success%20for%20the%20side%20last%20season%2C%20and%20remained%20part%20of%20the%20XI%20as%20they%20claimed%20the%20title.%3Cbr%3EHe%20has%20yet%20to%20feature%20this%20term%20as%20the%20Giants%20have%20preferred%20Aayan%20Khan%20and%20Usman%20Khan%20as%20their%20two%20UAE%20players%20so%20far.%3Cbr%3EHowever%2C%20England%20quick%20Jordan%20is%20sure%20his%20young%20colleague%20will%20have%20a%20role%20to%20play%20at%20some%20point.%3Cbr%3E%22Me%20and%20Sanchit%20have%20a%20great%20relationship%20from%20last%20season%2C%22%20Jordan%20said.%3Cbr%3E%22Whenever%20I%20am%20working%20with%20more%20inexperienced%20guys%2C%20I%20take%20pleasure%20in%20sharing%20as%20much%20as%20possible.%3Cbr%3E%22I%20know%20what%20it%20was%20like%20when%20I%20was%20younger%20and%20learning%20off%20senior%20players.%3Cbr%3E%22Last%20season%20Sanchit%20kick-started%20our%20season%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20with%20a%20brilliant%20man-of-the-match%20performance.%3Cbr%3E%22Coming%20into%20this%20one%2C%20I%20have%20seen%20a%20lot%20of%20improvement.%20The%20focus%20he%20is%20showing%20will%20only%20stand%20him%20in%20good%20stead.%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
More on Quran memorisation:
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More on animal trafficking
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C600rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C500-4%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.9L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh119%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Background: Chemical Weapons
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
