Open Skies | February 2016

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Katara Cultural Village, Doha

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Editor-in-ChiEf Managing PartnEr & grouP Editor EditoriaL dirECtor grouP Editor SEnior Editor digitaL / Print dESignEr digitaL aniMator Sub Editor EditoriaL aSSiStant

Obaid Humaid Al Tayer Ian Fairservice Gina Johnson gina@motivate.ae Mark Evans marke@motivate.ae Andrew Nagy andrew.nagy@motivate.ae Ralph Mancao ralph@motivate.ae Surajit Dutta surajit@motivate.ae Salil Kumar salil@motivate.ae Londresa Flores londresa@motivate.ae

ContributorS

Andrew Birbeck, Geoff Brokate, Gemma Correll, Daniel Huffman, Jamie Knights, Kaye Martindale, Matt Mostyn, Neil Snape, Sandra Tinari, Stuart Turton, Sean Williams. Cover: Mark Carwadine for Getty ChiEf CoMMErCiaL offiCEr Anthony Milne anthony@motivate.ae gEnEraL ManagEr ProduCtion S Sunil Kumar ProduCtion ManagEr R Murali Krishnan

grouP SaLES dirECtor Craig L. W. Wagstaff craig.wagstaff @motivate.ae

grouP SaLES ManagEr Jaya Balakrishnan jaya@motivate.ae

PubLiShEr Martin Balmer martin.balmer @motivate.ae

SEnior SaLES ManagEr Shruti Srivastava shruti.srivastava@ motivate.ae

rEgionaL ManagEr abu dhabi Imane Eddinari Imane@motivate.ae

dEPuty SaLES ManagEr Amar Kamath EditoriaL ConSuLtantS for EMiratES Editor Manna Talib arabiC Editor Hatem Omar dEPuty Editor Catherine Freeman WEbSitE emirates.com InternatIonal MedIa representatIves auStraLia/nEW ZEaLand Okeeffe Media; Tel + 61 894 472 734, okeeffekev@bigpond.com.au bELgiuM and LuXEMbourg M.P.S. Benelux; Tel +322 720 9799, francesco.sutton@mps-adv.com China Publicitas Advertising; Tel +86 10 5879 5885 gErMany IMV Internationale Medien Vermarktung GmbH; Tel +49 8151 550 8959, w.jaeger@imv-media.com hong Kong/MaLaySia/thaiLand Sonney Media Networks; Tel +852 2151 2351, hemant@sonneymedia.com india Media Star; Tel +91 22 4220 2103, ravi@mediastar.co.in JaPan Tandem Inc.; Tel + 81 3 3541 4166, all@tandem-inc.com nEthErLandS giO media; Tel +31 (0)6 22238420, giovanni@giO-media.nl PaKiStan D&S International News Agency; Tel +92 3235345727, dnsnewsagency@gmail.com SWitZErLand, franCE/itaLy & SPain IMM International; Tel +331 40 1300 30, n.devos@imm-international.com turKEy Media Ltd.; Tel +90 212 275 51 52, mediamarketingtr@medialtd.com.tr uK Spafax Inflight Media; Tel +44 207 906 2001, nhopkins@spafax.com uSa Totem Brand Stories; Tel +1 4168475100, nicole.mullin@tc.tc Emirates takes care to ensure that all facts published herein are correct. In the event of any inaccuracy please contact the editor. Any opinion expressed is the honest belief of the author based on all available facts. Comments and facts should not be relied upon by the reader in taking commercial, legal, financial or other decisions. Articles are by their nature general and specialist advice should always be consulted before any actions are taken.

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114,087 copies January – June 2015 Printed by Emirates Printing Press, Dubai, UAE

E D I T O R ’ S

L E T T E R

andrEW nagy

on tHe Cover

SENIOR EDITOR

o

nly recently I sat bemoaning the modern obsession with social media over lunch with a former colleague. This in itself was nothing new.

Both of us are in our late thir ties and, as we view it, missed out on the relentless self-promotion gene by a generation or so (that said, do follow me on Instagram and Twitter, etc).

The general line of thinking was that, although social media can be used for good, the majority use it in a shameless display of digital show-offer y.

rhino – a lot of pressure on those shoulders you might think, and you’d be right. Thankfully, he’s getting a helping hand from a revolutionar y new format of IVF treatment, which, if successful, could bring this magnificent creature back from the very brink of extinction.

Emirates is playing it’s par t too, not only banning all trophy shipments but also collaborating with international organisations to train and better equip its ground and cargo staff to detect illegal wildlife products in transit.

“Here stands tHe last Male nortHern WHIte rHIno – a lot oF pressUre on tHose sHoUlders” A tired, middle-aged rant, yes, but it did leave us pondering our own sketchy contributions to society. On that score, while my personal results may be questionable, the cover stor y I preside over this month cer tainly isn’t.

In October of last year, we featured the wildlife being hunted to extinction by criminal syndicates across the globe.

This month we focus on the concer ted effor ts that are hoping to bring about a swift end to the trade.

Our story of hope is based in Kenya, at the Ol Pejeta Conser vancy. Here stands the last male nor thern white

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Elsewhere, governments continue with the symbolic gesture of burning illegal stockpiles of ivor y, while foundations such as United For Wildlife are raising awareness of the situation, in the hope that education of future generations will be crucial to halting demand for these animals.

Funnily enough, that’s where positive social media comes in. You can suppor t the cause by using #MakeaRhino and #WhoseSideAreYouOn. See, way better than posting a picture of your lunch, right?

Enjoy the issue.

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LooK out for thiS iCon on EaCh Story in oPEn SKiES for an inSight into thE WorLd of EMiratES

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savInG tHe nortHern WHIte rHInos This month’s cover story highlights the plight of the northern white rhinos; a subspecies that has been hunted to nearextinction. Our image, by Mark Carwadine for Getty, is a simple yet beautiful tribute to this magnificent creature.

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CARLSBAD NEW YORK ANTWERP BANGKOK DUBAI GABORONE HONG KONG JOHANNESBURG LONDON MUMBAI RAMAT GAN SEOUL TAIPEI TOKYO

C O N T E N T S

front

22 28 30 33 40 Experience

Flashback

Entrepreneur

Lunch With

Stay

46 57 Neighbourhood

Local Knowledge

Main

66 76 The Last Northern White Rhinos

The Real Bridge Of Spies

briEfing

86 90 92 94 96 Emirates News

Inside Emirates

Destination

Comfort

98 100 104 106 UAE Smart Gate

Route Map

The Fleet

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Knowledge

Visas, Quick Connect & Quarantine Information

C O N T R I B U T O R S

fEbruary Some of the people who helped create this issue of Open Skies andrEW birbECK

gEoff broKatE

gEMMa CorrELL

Matt MoStyn

Andrew is an Edinburgh-born author, writer and blogger who contributes to a broad range of titles. This month he writes on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, and the work they’re doing to help the dwindling rhino population.

Geoff is an Australian photographer and writer based in the UK. A regular contributor to Open Skies, This month he writes on a Parisian neighbourhood away from the tourist throngs.

Gemma is a self-confessed writer, illustrator and small person. The author of books including A Cat’s Guide To Life and A Pug’s Guide To Etiquette, she draws the Skycat’s illustration ever y month in Open Skies.

Matt is a world-wandering writer based between Dubai, the UK and Australia. A regular contributor to Open Skies, he currently freelances for a range of international magazine titles and ad agency creative departments. This month he meets the man recently given the title of the Emirates A380’s biggest fan.

“If anything can be learned from the tragic plight of Sudan, the last male northern white rhino on the planet, it’s that we must all, in some way, start to make a difference.”

“I have to admit, I really didn’t expect the cultural diversity that is on offer along the canals of Saint Martin, from African cafes, Iranian designers and Indian inspired fashion – this is a truly modern Parisian neighbourhood.”

When I draw Skycats, I think about what cats might do in a certain situation (if they could talk and had opposable thumbs). This month, I considered what a cat’s valentine’s poetry might sound like.”

“Stories are at the heart of what it means to be human – so it was an absolute pleasure to hear Yves’ tale of adventure as the Ultimate A380 Fan.”

nEiL SnaPE

Sandra tinari

Stuart turton

SEan WiLLiaMS

Neil has lived and worked in Paris since 1991. A luxury goods, still-life, and adver tising photographer he has turned to shooting beauty, por trait, and fine art. This month he shot our Entrepreneur feature on Alex Wagner.

Sandra is an Australian freelance journalist and photographer, based in Dubai.

This month she writes about the silent revolution going on in Dubai and how Corcel Collective are changing the way people see the city.

Stuar t is a freelance journalist specialising in travel and technology. He spends a lot of time going in the wrong direction, grumbling at smar tphones and trying to remember where he left his house keys. This month he writes on Munich.

Sean is a British writer and photographer based in Berlin. He has written for The New Yorker, the Economist, VICE, and Esquire. This month he tells us what to expect from the Dubai Food festval and the Emirates Airline Jazz Festival.

“Alex Wagner developed Paris’ luxury short-term rentals, A La Carte, long before industry giant AirBnB arrived.

When it comes down to it, pictures can merely show a fragment of his endearing charm.”

“As a big fan of singlespeed bikes, I’m excited

by Dubai’s urban biking movement. Now, I can feel like part of the gang without having to admit that I’m stumped by gears (its easier to just peddle harder, right?”

“Berlin’s supposed to be Germany’s wild city, but Munich hosts an annual party that puts 9,000 people in lederhosen. Sorry Berlin, you’re a boyscout in comparison.”

“Dubai is a city that shot suddenly from the desert, so it should be no surprise it’s attracting the best musicians, chefs and pretty much everything else right now.”

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Moment The Team Members of LUX* help people to celebrate life with the most simple, fresh and sensory hospitality in the world.

M AU R I T I U S R E U N I O N M A L D I V E S C H I N A U . A . E ( 2 0 1 6 ) | L U X R E S O R T S. C O M

Carefully curated content focused on unique experiences

Dubai Food Festival

Lunch With

Stay

Local Knowledge

33

40

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FRONT

E x p E r i E n c E

February 23

The Champions League LONDON, uk

With Barcelona we have a philosophy, a style in which we believe the game should be played, and we won’t compromise that regardless of who we face. Of course we prepare for games individually and the coaches examine the main threats of the opposition – and also where we feel there might be some weaknesses – but we’re always confident that our style and approach will be enough to win. Out of all the clubs in England, Arsenal play the game in the way that’s most similar to us – so it should be two very exciting games for the fans this month.

I’ve won the Champions League four times now, but I never think about my success for long. Last year we won the treble, and we enjoyed that feeling for a few days, but then you have to start to look forward. The best players, the best clubs, they win trophies season after season – that’s how history is created.

When I am retired I can look back at what I’ve won in the game and what I’ve achieved, but until then the only direction is forward – there’s still so much I want to achieve with both Barcelona

and Argentina. Every player wants to be involved in the big Champions League games, and when you get to this stage of the season every game has such importance. That’s all I’m focused on.

People always ask if I’ll leave, and there are many other leagues that I respect, but my answer is always the same: Barcelona has given me everything, this is my home.

The club paid my medical bills when nobody else would take a chance on me and I’ll stay for as long as they want me. uefa.com

Watch real-time sport on ice TV Live, which is now available on more than 80 of our Boeing 777 aircraft. The Sport 24 channel airs live UEFA Champions League matches.

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BArCELonA SUpErSTAr LioneL messi iS AiminG For hiS FiFTh ChAmpionS LEAGUE WinnErS mEdAL in 2016. ThiS monTh SEES A qUArTEr-FinAL CLASh WiTh ArSEnAL

To the year of the monkey

Celebrate Chinese New Year at City Centre Dubai.

Join us with the whole family as Chinese New Year festivities unfold at City Centre Dubai. Experience the year of the monkey and get the chance to win exciting prizes.

February 8 – 21 Deira • Mirdif • Me’aisem • Al Shindagha U N I T E D A R A B E M I R AT E S

BAHRAIN

LEBANON

EGYPT

OMAN

E x p E r i E n c E

February 24 – 26

emirates airline Dubai Jazz festival Dubai, uaE

What began as a slow jam on the lawn has grown to become one of the fixtures on the Middle East’s music calendar. This year’s Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival boasts a packed line-up filled with former festival favourites.

The three-day event will welcome a wide array of artists that straddle genres and draw crowds of all tastes. Among the heavy hitters is Sting, who headlined last year’s show to huge acclaim. The 64-year-old star will be joined on stage by trumpeter Chris Botti. “It’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime

opportunity to watch a stellar show by these two Grammy Award-winning artists,” says Anthony Younes, CEO and founder of parent firm Chillout Productions.

Opening this year’s event will be eclectic American rockers Toto and British band James. The pair will be joined on the first-day line-up by Postmodern Jukebox.

David Gray brings his own heartfelt style to the show, as he returns following sellout performances in 2008 and 2010, and Mexican-American guitar legend Carlos Santana rounds out an impressive

cast, as he joins percussive stars La Bomba de Tiempo for a thrilling final night.

There’s more to the jazzfest than music, and an array of local arts and crafts will be on show and sale while the F&B Village will also be serving up plenty of global gastronomic delights.

There is a wide selection of ticket options available, from a simple day pass, priced at Dhs395, to full VIP lounge access, between Dhs1,250 and Dhs1,450, and are available at ticketmaster.ae dubaijazzfest.com

If you’re a fan of jazz, check out Jazz & Blues on ice Digital Widescreen. Jazz & Blues brings you 40 channels of contemporary and classic jazz from artists like Terence Blanchard, Diana Krall and Duke Ellington.

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WorDs: sEan WIllIams, ImaGE: GETTy

WhIlE Jazz Is cErTaInly aT ThE rooT of ThIs annual EvEnT, there are big hitters from several genres sTarrInG aT ThIs monTh’s fEsTIval

E x p E r i E n c E

February 25 – March 12

Dubai FooD Festival Dubai, uaE

The Dubai Food Festival may only be three years old, but it’s already one of the hottest tickets in town and, best of all, it’s free to attend. More than anything, it provides an excellent opportunity to ditch those new year diet regimes with some of the region’s finest food.

Organisers expect more than 40,000 attendees. The theme of this year’s edition is Taste Celebration, which recognises Dubai’s position as “the culinary capital of the Middle East”, according to Dubai tourism chief Issam Kassim.

The Beach Canteen, the festival’s hub, will be bigger and better than ever, with more seating and raised dining areas than last year. As well as food, the canteen will feature open mic nights, storytelling by the sea, farmers and fashion markets, and even fitness classes.

Many of Dubai’s top eateries are on board for the event, with Jumeirah Restaurant Week offering three-course meals at the city’s best for just Dhs189 per person. Restaurants include The Ivy, Okku, Rivington Grill, Cafe Belge and Seven Sands.

But it’s not just Dubai’s best-known spots that feature in Food Week: the Hidden Gems promotion celebrates the city’s secret favourites, while the hipsterfriendly Street Nights blends music and food in Al Quoz.

“Restaurant Week is celebrated in the best cities across the world,” says Kassim.

“As the region’s leading food festival, we cannot wait to introduce the concept and visitors are encouraged to book early to avoid missing out.” dubaifoodfestival.com

If you’re interested in food and cooking, check out Lifestyle TV on ice Digital Widescreen for shows like Nobu’s Japan, Jamie’s Sugar Rush and episodes of top shows from Food Network.

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F l a s h b a c k

Malice in Wonderland In February 1938, Heda Hopper wrote Her FIrst gossIp column For tHe la tImes . tHe movIe Industry would never be tHe same

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F l a s h b a c k

When it came to Hollywood’s Golden Age, men held all the cards. The movie stars were men, the studio heads were men, the financiers were men. If there was an important decision to be made in the movie business, you could be damn sure that a man was making it. So how was it that the words of two women were the most feared around town?

This was no turf war or political slanging match. This was a tussle confined to print, in an era where gossip columnists had enough influence to ruin a career – or make one – in just a few sentences. To understand it, you need to go back to the beginning.

By the late 1920s, the desire to read about Hollywood was insatiable. Louella Parsons might not have been America’s first gossip queen, but she was cer tainly it’s most influential. The motion picture editor for William Randolph Hearst’s Universal News ser vice, Parsons’ byline alone sold millions of newspapers and, as a result, the Hollywood elite feared her ever y word.

The problem was that she eventually became unmanageable. By the mid-’30s her demands were so outlandish that studio heads had lost all patience, and decided to create a rival columnist strong enough to limit her power – enter the 53-year-old, somewhat washed-up, actress Hedda Hopper.

By 1938, Hopper had featured in more than 100 movies, but hadn’t really made any money. She did, however, know anybody wor th knowing in Hollywood and, more impor tantly, was privy to all their secrets.

With a column in the LA Times filled with “bare-nailed b****er y” that obsessed over Hollywood marriages, breakups, political opinions and breakdowns, Hopper would go on to terrorise the film industr y for 30 years – Charlie Chaplin in par ticular being a favourite subject of her ire – and a vicious, rather self-ser ving, feud with Parsons simply added an extra set of claws to the stor y.

At her peak, Hopper had, thanks to a syndicated column, around 30 million readers hanging on her ever y barbed quip and she had made a for tune. Her Beverly Hills mansion was named ‘The House That Fear Built’ and such was her place in popular culture that she even began playing exaggerated versions of herself in movies.

Ultimately, as the glamour of Hollywood began to fade, so too did her influence, and although she wrote until the day she died in 1966, she knew when the par ty was over – and how to handle it with style. “Don’t be swept out,” she once said. “Go before the glow fades.”

MUSSo and FranK you can stIll enJoy a slIce oF autHentIc Hollywood glamour An iconic hangout since its opening in 1919, there was a time when it would have been impossible not to mix with the industry’s finest on a visit to 6667 Hollywood Boulevard. In the 1920s or ’30s you likely would have caught Greta Garbo and Gary Cooper enjoying breakfast, or Humphrey Bogar t and Lauren Bacall having a few drinks at the bar. Not just limited to movies stars, every great writer you care to mention has dined here at some point too. It’s even rumoured that F Scott Fitzgerald would proofread his novels in the back booth. Still going strong, just don’t mob the first A-lister you see. At Musso & Frank, that sor t of thing is frowned upon. mussoandfrank.com Heading to Hollywood? emirates’ non-stop service to los angeles will increase to twice daily starting July 1. both daily flights to los angeles will be operated by the emirates airbus a380.

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E n t r E p r E n E u r

A LA CArte PAris Paris, France

Words: AndreW BirBeck imAges: neil snApe | 30 |

E n t r E p r E n E u r

A

lex Wagner, who has an English father and French mother, was brought up and completed his schooling in London. He moved to Paris at the age of 18 and studied engineering at the Sorbonne. After graduation a promising career in his chosen field beckoned and Wagner found himself employed by Peugeot in La Défense, the premier Parisian business district. And so it could have easily remained, a steady rise through the corporate ranks, were it not for a chance conversation one day with his mother.

“My mother was an interior designer,” explains Wagner. “She had a great eye for quality, style and detail. In fact she kitted out my own apartment, which was in a terrific location too. She told me she’d spotted websites springing up offering short-term Paris rentals. I looked at them and thought maybe I could do something similar, something better. Perhaps décor and design was in my blood. My father was an architect so I guess I had the right mindset to give it a go and see what would happen.”

He decided to take the plunge. “The business was, quite literally, created out of thin air. All I needed was an internet connection, a PC, and it cost less than €100 to register the company.”

An idea is one thing, practicality another, especially when dipping a toe into the vacation rental sector with your own home.

Wagner was still working at Peugeot and needed a roof over his head. How, then, did all this work out? “I guess back in those days I knew no fear. I kept working at my day job.

Well, I still had to make a living. Whenever a booking came in I’d pack my bags and move back to my mother’s place. She was very understanding.” Enquiries and bookings flooded in, not least due to the high-end décor and enviable setting of the apartment.

“I ended up putting in over 100 hours a week, living a double life, working every day and weekend, nights, no time off at all.”

It quickly became clear that he had happened upon an untapped sector of the market – that of top-quality lets for discerning customers. Incredibly, within just four short yet gruelling months, the fledgling venture was financially healthy enough for Wagner to quit Peugeot and

devote himself to A La Carte Paris fulltime. Over that period other apartment owners had begun to approach him to let out their properties. “The reason the transition was so rapid really boils down to a key part of the business plan. Cash flow is one of the big three reasons businesses fail. I’d started out with no borrowings and was quickly generating great revenue so, put simply, that problem didn’t exist.”

On the subject of the meteoric rise of Airbnb, Wagner simply shrugs. “At first I thought it was a huge threat but I soon realised it was, in reality, a massive opportunity. Of course it’s competition we take very seriously, but through Airbnb enormous awareness has been created for the sector. We offer a different product and always have done. It’s all about positioning.

“From the outset I wanted A La Carte Paris to be the best, to offer only the best apartments in the best locations. With us you know what you’re getting. There’s no worry or stress. And who wants to waste precious free time with worry when you should be enjoying your visit to Paris.”

The business now operates on three tiers – short-term rentals, private investment and design/refurbishment. The latter two are closely intertwined. “We offer a turnkey solution to investors, from finance to apartment design to guaranteed rental income. I’d say one of the biggest thrills we have is when new owners see their

Emirates operates 20 flights per week to Paris, all with the Airbus A380.

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Paris home-from-home for the first time.”

Asked why customers, be they visitors or investors, should come to A La Carte Paris, Wagner replies, “It’s simple. We choose our properties with great care and have only the most beautiful apartments in wonderful locations on our books. It means you can experience the city exactly as it should be.” alacarte-paris-apartments.com

LOCAL KNOWLeDGe To escape in the city go to…

Montmartre hilltop to admire the panorama of Paris’ zinc rooftops.

For a timeless memory of Paris I’d recommend…

A stroll along the eternally picturesque banks of the Seine.

To dress like a Parisian you should…

Try to avoid loud colours and instead go for subtle beiges and greys.

For local dining I’d suggest…

Simply popping along to your local brasserie. In Paris, good food is always reassuringly easy to find.

The best advice I can give is…

When business flows, invest your time and money. Don’t be tempted to kick back and relax.

L u n c h

w i t h

Kailash satyarthi Nobel Peace Prize winner and children’s rights advocate Kailash Satyarthi has literally saved the lives of thousands of his countrymen. We spoke to Harvard University’s Humanitarian of The Year over lunch at Delhi ‘O’ Delhi WORDS: Kaye MaRtineDale iMageS: geOFF BROKate

B

ack in 1980 Kailash Satyarthi was regularly faced with the choice between feeding his family or using their meagre income to continue with his efforts to end bonded and child labour in India. Going against the stream of popular consensus in his homeland – where an estimated 65 million bonded child labourers and 300 million adult labourers are

trapped in modern day slavery – Satyarthi’s work went unnoticed until he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. With the UN only ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 and India’s child labour rights going largely unregulated, Satyarthi describes his early years as an uphill battle: “I have been invisible because those I work for have been invisible”.

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L u n c h

w i t h

THEN AND NOW, I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE BORN ONLY TO WORK, WHILE OTHERS ARE ACTUALLY BORN TO REALISE THEIR DREAMS

I’d been moved by films of Satyarthi and his team raiding modern day slave camps to free labourers, some of whom have spent their whole lives in bondage. As the workers are given moments to choose between the life they’ve come to accept and freedom, they often become hysterical – torn between fear and relief. Only Satyarthi keeps his head amid the chaos as the bewildered mothers, fathers and children cling to him for reassurance. To date Bachpan Bachao Andolan, the organisation founded by Satyarthi, has freed 84,711 children.

I’m waiting for Satyar thi at Delhi ‘O’ Delhi, a member’s only restaurant in the city’s India Habitat Centre. With more than a whiff of old school British formality, I am requested to wait in the foyer as it’s impossible for me to enter the restaurant without a club member.

After eagerly watching the lift doors for 20 minutes, they finally open to reveal Satyarthi and his two assistants. A tall man

by Indian standards, he cuts a distinct figure. Wearing a crisply pressed salwar kameez (traditional Indian tunic and trouser suit), Satyarthi is almost incongruous within the suit and tie business environment of Delhi ‘O’ Delhi.

Satyarthi greets me with a warm, enveloping two-handed handshake and a smile that makes me feel I’m an old and dear friend as he apologises for his lateness. We’re shown through to our table as Delhi’s rich and powerful halt their meetings to

exclaim at his arrival. Since becoming a Nobel laureate, Satyarthi is no longer invisible. A cluster of people soon form around him as he shares the same glowing smile and undivided attention with each of them.

As we take our seats, I’m struck by the 62-year-old’s clear appeal as he turns to me with his lighthouse smile and suggests we get started. I’m curious as to how someone who grew up in an environment where child labour is so normalised and accepted, could see his own culture with the eyes of an outsider.

Satyarthi charts his awakening back to his first day of school when he was five years old. He passed by a boy of his own age who was working as a cobbler alongside his father. “I might have seen children working before but this time there was a sharp contrast. I was going to school with my new books, new clothes and shoes. While he was looking at me with hungry eyes.”

Unwilling to accept the injustice, the young Satyarthi asked his teachers and family members why that boy had to work.

Unsatisfied when told that it was normal, he plucked up the courage to ask the boy’s father directly. The father answered: “Sir, we people are born to work.” Satyarthi paused, before looking me directly in the eyes, “His answer chilled me.” Then, with a steeliness at odds with his gentle manner he adds, “Then and now I refuse to accept that some people are born only to work and some to realise their dreams.”

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L u n c h

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raises his hands to underline his bafflement and grins. “But why should I? I am a child. I have to live true to that and that will keep me young.”

Despite his child-inspired outlook on life, Satyarthi’s story betrays the early maturity of an old soul. At a time that most of us are busy with computer games and pop music, the 11-yearold Satyarthi organised his first social action. Concerned by the amount of fellow students who’d left school due to the cost of textbooks, he persuaded friends to pool together their pocket money to hire a vendor’s cart and call out for old school books.

Within one day they collected more than 2,500 books that they used to create a book bank.

The food arrives and Satyarthi sends the waiter over to me to fill my plate first. It tastes delicious to me but I’m concerned my choice may be a little bland for my companions, as Satyarthi happily munches on raw chillies between mouthfuls.

The courage to follow his moral compass, is what has given weight to the decisive moments in Satyarthi’s life; none more so than when in 1968, the year of Gandhi’s centenary. Inspired by his book bank success, he had the idea of inviting high caste local politicians to eat a feast cooked by untouchables.

Choosing the lowest people in India society, the “so-called untouchable” sweeper women whose job it was to clean faeces from public toilets. Satyarthi asked them to cook the meal. At first they refused, insisting that the leaders would not come. The

RAIDS SOON BECAME ONE OF SATYARTHI AND HIS TEAM’S MOST EFFECTIvE METHODS OF FREEING PEOPLE, AND WHILE HE TAKES A GREAT DELIGHT FROM HIS WORK, THERE’S A DARK AND DANGEROUS SIDE TO IT TOO

Satyarthi continues to honour the purity of his five-yearold self ’s vision as he lets me in on the secret of his glowing countenance and undimmed faith in goodness.

“The most important thing inside everyone is a small child that should not die. This child is a value, a vir tue, a feeling that makes you simpler. Children have always been my philosophy, my teachers, my heroes. Sometimes people say “You have become a Nobel laureate now you have to be serious.” He

idealistic teenager convinced them “No, I’ve heard their speeches they will come, I trust them.”

The politicians in their turn told Satyarthi that the feast was a great way to honour Gandhi’s centenary and to underline their public message that caste prejudice was no longer acceptable. On the appointed evening the time for the meal came and went with no sign of the nation’s leaders.

“I cannot express the agony, anger and frustration that I felt. My friends and I couldn’t look at each other. Eventually I thought, it’s late let us eat the food. I sat down and started eating but I broke down completely. As my tears fell, an old untouchable woman put her arm on my shoulder and she said “My son why are you crying?

You did what nobody has ever done, you have eaten our food.”

Satyarthi goes on to describe the scene that awaited him when he returned home that fateful evening. “Caste leaders were gathered around my family, threatening to socially boycott them”, considered a terrible fate within Indian culture. He describes the

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long and painful night that followed as a “reincarnation” as he took the unheard of decision to “outcaste the entire caste system”. For the first time in our meeting I see a trace of anger as he recalls the double standards of the self appointed guardians of Indian society.

A gifted student Satyarthi went on to study engineering.

Despite being from a high caste, his family wasn’t overly wealthy and had poured all their funds into his education. For this reason alone it was a hard decision to leave behind his “glittering career” to follow his passion.

With the unwavering support of his wife, Sumedha Kailash, they left their home in Bhopal to move to New Delhi in 1980. With limited finances they could only afford an 8 x 10 foot storeroom where they lived and worked along with their one-year-old son.

Despite financial hardship and a dearth of space, he and Sumeda welcomed everyone who came to the door in need of help. He single-handedly created a magazine Sangharsh Jaari Rahega (The Struggle Will Continue) of which he was writer, photographer, type setter and distributer.

Another momentous day in Satyarthi’s life came when a knock at the door thrust him from the role of journalist to social activist.

A desperate father had gotten hold of a copy of Sangharsh Jaari Rahega and travelled from the Punjab to seek help. The man had been held as a slave working in a brick kiln for 17 years after taking the difficult but common decision to enter into indebted labour when newly married. His children had been born there and now the kiln works owner had decided to sell his young daughter into slavery and the father was in a desperate and powerless situation.

“As I sat hearing his story, I thought to myself, what would I do if that was my daughter? I suddenly put down my pen and decided to take direct action.”

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Raids became one of Satyarthi and his teams’ favoured option for freeing labourers, and while he takes a clear delight from his work, there’s a dark and dangerous side to it.Two of his team members have been killed in the line of duty. One was killed during a raid and one was targeted afterwards in a revenge attack.

Satyarthi himself has been injured many times and even as he relates his litany of injuries; back, shoulder, legs and head, his voice maintains a lightness. Only as he tells the story of how he and his son had a very close call with a mafia gunman, does he betray the slightest hint of self-concern.

Suddenly his assistants rejoin the conversation.They confer, looking ominously at their watches: It’s time to go. Satyarthi is about to address a chair of judges with regard to much needed changes in legislation. I walk with him and his assistants to the door to say goodbye, receiving a big hug from Satyarthi as he leaves.

In a lineage that includes such luminaries as Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa and Nelson Mandela, Kailash Satyarthi’s life and work embodies the spirit of the Nobel Peace Prize. I didn’t know it at the time but, as the lift doors close, I realise I’ve just met my hero.

The Bill Shahi paneer (US$2.10), Paneer bhurji (US$2.10), Dhaal makhni (US$1.30), Dhaal tadka (US$1.05), 4 x Roti (US$0.60), 4 x Butter roti (US$0.90), 2 x Steamed rice (US$1.80), 3 x Mineral water (US$0.90)

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Emirates offers four non-stop daily services to New Delhi.

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Mandarin Oriental New York, US

Words: Mark Evans IMagEs: MandarIn orIEntal The conventional route with hotels – as with most buildings – is to start from the bottom up. The ground floor. Zero.

This well-established wisdom is, thankfully, eschewed at the Mandarin Oriental New York, which occupies floors 35 to 54 of the North Tower of the Time Warner Center.

Thankfully, because their lofty perch brings with it views of Central Park and

the Manhattan skyline that can only be described as breath-taking. Rooms, while not huge (well, ours wasn’t), are nevertheless impressive, with Art Deco touches mixing nicely with hints of Asia; subtle creams and beiges alongside the occasional splash of colour of Asian artwork. Marble bathrooms further the luxurious feel, as do the 1940s-inspired

desks, while flat-screen TVs – with the usual myriad of frenetic US channels – bring a touch of homely familiarity.

The star of the show, however, is undoubtedly that incredible view, and with floor-to-ceilings windows flooding the vista in, it’s hard not to spend your entire stay simply stood, staring out. mandarinoriental.com

Emirates offers four daily flights to New York’s JFK Airport, all operated by the Emirates A380. Through partnership with JetBlue, Emirates Skywards members can earn Miles on JetBlue flights and members of JetBlue’s TrueBlue loyalty programme can earn points for Emirates-operated flights.

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M A D R I D / D I AG O N A L

DEPARTMENT STORES SPAIN & PORTUGAL

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the OberOi mumbai, india

Words: Kaye Matrindale iMages: oberoi Located on Marine Drive, India’s most expensive strip of real estate, The Oberoi honours the Indian notion that ‘guest is king’.

Always willing to go that extra step, the obliging yet easygoing staff give red carpet treatment to ever y patron.

The Oberoi team are encouraged to express their creativity, so don’t be surprised to come back to your room

and discover a rose petal bath or a personalised set of towels to take home with you.

The spacious rooms are tastefully decorated with floor-to-ceiling windows that offer spectacular views of the Arabian Sea, while each has been thoughtfully furnished and ever y detail of your stay is carefully tended to by the appointed butler.

Emirates flies non-stop to Mumbai five times daily, including a daily A380 service.

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The interior of The Oberoi quietly hums opulence with a simple and elegant finish of black granite, white marble and gold fabric. With its vast and tranquil lobby, along with a variety of drinking and dining options, 24-hour spa and two pool options, The Oberoi offers a welcome respite from the commotion of Mumbai’s streets. oberoihotels.com

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Vigilius M o n t e S a n V i g i l i o , i t a ly

Words: Ivan Carvalho Images: vIgIlIus Italy’s South Tyrol region is considered by many as an Alpine Shangri-La, with its unique mountain scenery punctuated by the Dolomites, top-quality cuisine borrowing from Tyrolean and Mediterranean influences, prized winemakers and the countless hiking trails and ski slopes dotted across its picturesque landscape.

The perfect perch to enjoy the area’s

hospitality is found at Vigilius, a highaltitude refuge situated at 1,500 metres atop a mountain and accessible only by cable car. Designed by Matteo Thun, a native of South Tyrol, the award-winning 21st century property’s clean lines and lattice facade elegantly integrates into the forested landscape and incorporates wood reclaimed from a 300-year-old Alpine barn

Emirates flies to four destinations in Italy – Milan, Rome, Venice and Bologna.

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and locally quarried quartz rock.

The scent of larch wood upon entering the hotel gives way to breathtaking views from its upstairs gourmet restaurant. To relax there’s a reading room with open fireplace and a coveted spa that uses beauty products by Trehs, using mountain pine oil from the local Sarntal Valley. vigilius.it

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Canal St Martin Words and Images: geoff Brokate

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Emirates flies to three destinations in France – Nice, Lyon and Paris.

When you speak to Parisians about Canal St Martin there’s a word that is commonly used to describe its newfound trendy status: ‘Bobo’, which stands for bohemian bourgeois.

While its original 1802 build was to create an artificial waterway for transporting goods and fresh water, the canal holds a

special place in Parisians’ hearts because it has been immortalised in some of the classics of French cinema.

The 1938 love story Hotel du Nord was set in a hotel that still exists along the edge of the water, while a more recent homage was in the 2001 film Amelie, whose main | 47 |

character spends her time strolling along the arched iron bridges of the canal. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s film heralded a change in public perception towards Canal St Martin, inadvertently ushering in the Bobo revolution. The cafe-lined canal is now the place to be seen.

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Canauxrama

If you want to experience life on the canal then you need to take a boat along its waters and watch Paris and its people glide by. The oldest company offering cruises on Canal St Martin is Canauxrama, established in 1983. They’ve been offering panoramic cruises of Paris’ canals and the Seine for 32 years. The cruises along Canal Saint Martin begin at the Arsenal Marina quay on Boulevard de la Bastille and terminate at Basin de la Villette. The boat takes a leisurely pace under 100-year-old trees and wrought iron footbridges that line the canal, but the most enthralling aspect of the journey is when the boat passes through a mysterious tunnel, called the Vault Of The Bastille. Here, experimental films by Japanese artist Keiichi Tahara are eerily projected onto its dark walls.

13, Quai de la Loire | +33 1 42 39 15 00 | canauxrama.com

Potemkine

Ar t-house movies from the French New Wave during the late 1950s and ’60s changed the way we view cinema today. This boutique DVD store pays homage to the rich past of Parisian films. The name Potemkine comes from the seminal 1925 silent Russian film Battleship Potemkin, but this is no wilting DVD rental store, however. It’s bursting at the seams with special editions, rare copies of long forgotten films and modern classics. Aside from the flicks, Potemkine has become a hub for the city’s filmmakers. Ar tists and creative media fashionistas hang out in the cafe to discuss projects, attend the well curated events and listen to special guest speakers. Owner Nils Bouaziz, who opened the store 10 years ago, proudly boasts the likes of director Peter Greenaway as an example of the talent that speak at his events.

30 Rue Beaurepaire | +33 1 40 18 01 81 | potemkine.fr | 49 |

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Kann Design

This concept furniture store sells and displays work by international designers who are inspired by the colours and designs of the 1950s, with a focus on Danish design from that era. All of the pieces are made in Lebanon, where founder Houssan Kanaan originates.

There’s a strong commitment to the use of traditional methods of handcrafting, and this dedication is symbolised by the front counter of the store originally being his father’s old carpentry table. Houssan’s wife and artistic director Meghedi Simonian was born in Iran and has lived in Paris for ten years. She explains that the concept of the store is for the furniture to have a practical purpose, along with simple design and sleek lines. The store has a well-displayed showcase of stylish furniture, lamps and sofas.

28 rue des Vinaigriers | +33 (0)9 53 40 86 98 | kanndesign.com

MachicaDou

This small, endearing boutique is filled with the passion and commitment that owner Camille Klarfeld has shown in creating her atelier, which is at once a workshop and secondhand clothes store. Machicadou is very much a family affair. Her father built the mezzanine that acts as a space to restore and up-cycle vintage clothes Camille has handpicked. The name is taken from a family joke and is a made-up word that describes the meal made from the leftover food from dinner the night before. What really marks this store out as unique, however, is when exploring the details of its contents. Camille makes every visitor feel a part of her family as she walks you through her array of jewellery, handbags, home decor, children’s accessories, designer labels and her unique designs.

165 Quai de Valmy | +33 1 44 72 04 07 | machicadou.blogspot.com | 51 |

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ArtAzArt

Labelled as a design bookstore, Artazart has the visual impact of an art gallery and museum of creative objects from the past and future. Since 2000 its founders Carl Huguenin and Jérôme Fournel have dedicated their store to the celebration of the image in all its forms. Their hand-selected collection of photography, painting, graphic design, children’s books and magazines is visited by design professionals from all over the city. Listed in the Huffington Post top 10 art and design bookstores around the world, Artazart’s bright red shop front can’t be missed as you walk along the canal path. Aside from art and books, the store is the perfect place to pick up unique creative objects like pin-hole cameras, cyanotype photography kits, bicycle accessories and hard to find art supplies.

83 Quai de Valmy | +33 1 40 40 24 00 | artazart-paris.fr

Antoine et LiLi

As you walk along the canal you’ll come across a colourful collection of storefronts, with baby pink, sunshine yellow and apple green beckoning you inside. You have arrived at the neighbourhood’s longest running boutique, Antoine et Lili. Originally opened in Montmartre in 1998, it has since expanded, now with 17 stores all over the country. Established by Alexandre Gattegno and Martine Sénac, it’s a woman’s fashion boutique focused on the chic Bobo style that typifies the area. The designs are created in-house and are inspired by Martine’s world travels, with each season focusing on a new influence. The strip of stores is unique as it features one very special offering, which has adult designs in children’s sizes, along with a boutique accessories store stocking original items from around the world.

95 quai de Valmy | +33 1 40 37 41 55 | antoineetlili.com | 52 |

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HoteL du nord

This hotel is a classic icon of Parisian histor y. Built in 1912, it consisted of 40 rooms that were home to the workers, sailors and migrants who worked on the canal during its industrial period. In 1938 a film was released with the same name and it’s now a bar, bistro and popular stop for people wanting to experience a piece of cinematic histor y. It has narrowly escaped being knocked down on many occasions but most famously in the early ’80s. The building had fallen into disrepair and was about to be demolished by developers, but outraged locals protested and camped out at the front of the hotel. In 1989 it received heritage status and Parisians celebrated their victor y. It was eventually restored in the image of the original movie.

102 Quai de Jemmapes | +33 1 40 40 78 78 | hoteldunord.org

Le Comptoir GeneraL

Hidden away down an unassuming alleyway, you’ll eventually find the best kept secret in Canal St Mar tin. As you walk into this building it isn’t clear if you’re entering an old Grand Hotel or an exclusive club. The decor is the result of a collaboration between ar tists, gardeners, set designers and visionaries who have created a menagerie of eclectic objects around what at first appears to be a cafe and bar. Dedicated to the exotic, with a focus on items and styles from Africa, this live-in museum is also a hair salon, travel agent, clothes store, a music label, greenhouse and photo studio, as well as occasional venue for cinema and guest events, and offers the most undiluted vision of Canal St Mar tin’s Bobo vibe.

80 Quai de Jemmapes | +33 1 44 88 24 48 | lecomptoirgeneral.com | 54 |

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CorCel ColleCtive While a bustling Sheikh Zayed Road might dominate the city, a slower pace is emerging on side roads and cyclepaths. Less a mode of transport, more a way of life, this is how you really navigate Dubai

words & images: sandra tinari new independent bicycle movement is transforming how Dubai commutes and spends its leisure time, powered by fixed-gear and single-speed biking enthusiasts and the homegrown bike retailer, Corcel Collective. Founded by a small group of friends – including ex-professional footballer, Christian Frealdsson (above) – the lifestyle brand has expanded rapidly in just a few years and is now preparing to open a flagship store in Dubai Design District. | 57 |

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Riding a bike in an uRban enviRonment is a fast way to tRavel and has benefits foR both youR health and the enviRonment

I moved to Dubai from Stockholm three years ago, where I’d been riding bikes, single-speed and fixedgear, my whole life, mostly for commuting but also for fun. Riding a bike in an urban environment is a fast way to travel and has benefits for your health and the environment. My friends and I wanted to create a lifestyle brand that catered to our new community of riders – it was clear that there were others like us who wanted to ride their city. Now, two years later, we have a showroom in Al Quoz and a number of collaborations, including Puma Select and Level Shoe District, where we have a pop-up store.

Fixed gear bikes let you have full control of the bike. When you’re riding fixed it’s not like cruising, you have to pedal consistently, as you ride without brakes. When you learn how to control the bike it’s a very nice feeling.

There’s a growing fixed-gear community in Dubai but it’s tricky for beginners, so we not only sell fixed-gear bikes, we have a range of single-speed bikes (free wheel) and one of our brands, BIKEID, comes with an automatic two-shift gear. | 59 |

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Design and simplicity are also a focus. Dubai is completely flat and for the leisure biker, gears don’t really make sense. They also take away from the bike design and I want people to ride their bike and be able to store it in their house without feeling that they have to hide it because it doesn’t look good.

There’s an established and growing community here that gets together for rides, Dubai Fixed Gear (DXBFXD). I can also see that more people are riding bikes in their daily life. Not only for exercise but also to commute.

Dubai is becoming increasingly bike friendly and large numbers of tracks are being built. I’m sure this will change how people get around the city.

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Personally I love to ride my bike in Jumeirah and Satwa.

Older par ts of Dubai like Deira and next to the Creek are also perfect for a ride.

ThErE’s A groWing fixED-gEAr communiTY in DubAi AnD i’m surE This Will chAngE hoW PEoPlE commuTE in ThE ciTY

Dubai is creating many rental bike stations around town, especially in Downtown and Jumeirah Beach. A bike ride on the back roads of Jumeirah, close to the beach, is a perfect way to see the city in a different way. corcelcollective.com

Download The Emirates App – available for iPhone, iPad and Android. Your personal journey planner makes it easy to view and arrange your trips when you’re on the go. Designed to complement the iPhone app, there’s also an Emirates App for Apple Watch.

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A collection of stories from around the world

The real bridge of spies

The last northern White rhinos

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The real bridge of spies

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A C O M B I N AT I O N O F P O A C H I N G A N D HUNTING IS PUSHING A NUMBER OF S P E C I E S TO T H E B R I N K O F E X T I N C T I O N .

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the world’s wildlife has been lost, and humans are largely to blame.

If we continue at the current rate, it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out the end result.

Rhino populations in par ticular have suffered massively, not only at the loss of their natural environment, but also at the hands of poachers. With rhino horn demanding everincreasing bounties, par ticularly in the Far East where it’s mistakenly perceived as having medicinal properties and attributed among other things as being a cure for cancer, there is a seemingly insatiable demand. “This is all about education,” explains Vigne. “The people who demand and consume rhino horn must take full responsibility for the poaching pressure that rhinos face. It’s simple. Stop buying it. Then poaching could stop overnight. Rhino horn is keratin – the same substance that forms fingernails. It has no medicinal powers whatsoever. It cannot cure anything.”

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rhinO On the Planet His name is Sudan and such is the continuing threat from poachers that this gentle creature lives under 24-hour armed guard. At the grand old age of 42, Sudan has already exceeded the average life span for the species by seven years.

Until recently there were just four northern white rhinos left in the world.

With the death of Nola, a 41-year-old female, at San Diego Zoo in November 2015, three remain, all living at Ol Pejeta.

As things stand, we’re witnessing the extinction of the species. Sudan is too old to mate with the two remaining females Fatu and Najin, and so, you would think, the story ends there.

Yet somehow, in this most tragic of scenarios, there is a glimmer of hope. The team at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, headed

by CEO Richard Vigne, is determined not to give up the fight.

The nor thern white rhino is just one of many species on the brink. Across the planet we’re experiencing extinction events on an unprecedented scale.

According to the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), destruction of natural habitats and the illegal wildlife trade are the root causes. It is estimated that in the past 40 years alone more than 40 per cent of

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The reality too is that criminal gangs who feed the illegal trade in rhino horn across Africa and Asia are the same gangs that traffic drugs and people.

Rhino horn, for these people, is simply another revenue stream. As Vigne puts it, “They have no scruples. They’re criminals, pure and simple, and will use any method to achieve their aims.”

Faced with a seemingly impossible situation for the nor thern white rhino, the team at Ol Pejeta is pinning hopes on a revolutionary form of IVF (in-vitro fer tilisation). The call to action has spread worldwide, with scientists and genetic exper ts gathering recently in Vienna to pool together their knowledge in the hope of finding a solution.

The process is akin to sailing into uncharted waters, as IVF has never before been tried with a rhino. “As we speak trials are going on to develop IVF protocols in southern white rhinos, the closest living relative of the northern counterpart,” says Vigne. In what could now, with hindsight, be seen as a conservation success story the southern white rhino itself was on the brink of extinction a little more than a century ago. At one point less than a hundred were left. They now number in excess of 20,000, albeit in game reserves and protected areas.

With just two surviving female nor thern white rhinos the decision to

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initially trial the new IVF protocol on southern white rhinos therefore makes perfect sense. Vigne says, “Once the IVF technique has been developed the challenge will be to replicate the process on the two remaining nor thern white females at Ol Pejeta.”

The new IVF procedure and trials will be expensive, time-consuming and complex to achieve. According to Vigne, if fer tilisation proves successful and results in a nor thern white embryo, “it will then have to be stored in liquid nitrogen until such time as the process to successfully implant the embryo into a surrogate southern white rhino female has been developed”.

Clearly time is not on the side of the experts and Vigne admits that the odds are most likely stacked against both them and the species. Naturally too, funding is key, resulting in the launch of the #MakeaRhino (gofundme.com/ makearhino) campaign, the brainchild of Ol Pejeta’s marketing manager, Elodie Sampere. The minimum amount required to fund the revolutionary IVF programme is estimated at US$800,000.

“It may sound like a lot,” says Sampere, “but this has never been tried before and every penny raised goes directly to the cause. If we’re successful, anyone who has donated will have played a vital part in saving the species. The bottom line is that without money this process will go nowhere.”

Naturally, visiting the 90,000-acre conservancy is the ideal way to not only see and interact with the unique wildlife and environment to be found there, but also to witness first-hand the invaluable work being carried out. Ol Pejeta can justifiably claim to be a true once in a lifetime experience and its base of Kenya was awarded Best Safari Destination at the 2015 World Travel Awards.

Ol Pejeta is not just the home to the world’s last three nor thern white rhinos. | 69 |

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The conservancy also includes the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa, while Sweetwaters Sanctuary, also situated at Ol Pejeta, is the only place to see chimpanzees in the region. It also hosts a spectacular variety of other species such as lions, leopards, elephants and endangered Grevy’s zebras.

“Of course the best way to suppor t wildlife is to go on safari,” says Vigne.

“Conservancies such as Ol Pejeta are perfectly safe and here you get to experience conservation you can touch.”

Highlights of a visit include meeting the northern white rhinos, bottle-feeding a baby rhino and lion tracking. Vigne sums it up by saying, “It’s not just a safari; you’ll be part of what we do here.”

Conservation, community and communication lie at the hear t of the project. Recent high-profile visitors, | 72 |

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R h i n o h o R n i s k e R at i n – t h e s a m e s u b s ta n c e t h at f o R m s f i n g e R n a i l s . i t h a s n o m e d i c i na l p o w e Rs w h at s o e v e R . it cannot cuRe anything

such as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, reflect Ol Pejeta’s commitment to using technology not only in the fight against the ever more sophisticated methods of poachers but also as a conser vation tool and something that benefits the indigenous community as a whole.

New innovations include plans to offer vir tual safaris for those unable to visit in person. “The vision is that someone sitting at their desk in London or New York will, in time, be able to travel vir tually around the conser vancy,” says Vigne. Increasingly solar technology is being utilised in a drive to go ever more green and reduce emissions.

Alongside all this lies Ol Pejeta’s concept of Integrated Land Management, which allows commercially bred cattle to occupy the same area as wildlife.

Through careful organisation the system contributes to fixed costs that offset financial problems that can be caused by fluctuations in visitor numbers. According to Vigne it’s “an ongoing learning curve.

We’re also discovering that we can use our cattle to create a better habitat for wildlife through increased biodiversity.

For example, we now use closely packed herds of cattle instead of controlled fires

to clear areas of rank grass, making way for new growth. It’s all about securing the wild areas of Africa in a productive way with obvious benefits for the entire community in perpetuity”.

The issues being addressed at Ol Pejeta in one way or another affect us all. The plight of Sudan, the last male nor thern white rhino on the planet, is a stark reminder of the often irreversible damage that greed, corruption, ignorance, lack of concern for the environment and disregard of

Emirates’ twice-daily service to Nairobi is operated by the Boeing 777.

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our fellow creatures is inflicting upon the world. The message from Vigne is stark and simple. “We must change the way in which we consume. The natural resources of this planet are finite. The truth is that the entire global community bears responsibility for what is rapidly becoming a tidal wave of extinction.

There is still time to halt this process but we must act now. We need to change the way we live.” olpejetaconservancy.org #MakeaRhino

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t used to be a fairly complicated procedure to walk across the Glienicke Bridge on the far western outskirts of Berlin. For a start, it involved nerve-jangling negotiations between the two superpowers of the time, the United States and the Soviet Union – and some of their key allies. Razor-sharp legal brains were required; horse-trading skills had to be finely honed. The negotiations could last months, if not years.

Those selected to make the journey had to be very carefully screened. And when they were finally allowed to walk on to the bridge, military and intelligence forces – on both sides – would follow them every step of the way.

These days, walking over the Glienicke Bridge is somewhat easier. You can approach it quite freely from both east and west and cross it in either direction. Once on the other side, you can, should you wish, turn around and retrace your steps back to the other side. You can walk without stopping. You can run. Or you can pause in the middle where, to this day, you can still see the faint remains of the thin white line of paint that not that long ago was the graphic demarcation point between East and West at the height of the Cold War. It was across this line that, in February 1962, the Soviet spy Rudolf Abel and the American spy-plane pilot Francis Gary Powers were exchanged. It was here that, in June 1985, some 23 agents who had spied for the West were exchanged with four who had spied for the East. And it was here that, in February 1986, as part of another, final exchange, the Soviet dissident Anatoly Shcharansky (Natan Sharansky) took his first faltering steps to freedom. | 78 |

Anyone who has been to the Glienicke Bridge will recognise it as taking centre stage in the Steven Spielberg film Bridge Of Spies (it’s also playing on-board Emirates this month). Anyone who has not, should. For here you will find history writ large; a spot that has witnessed human drama and political intrigue of the very highest order.

Here, too, in the glorious forest and water-filled world linking the western outskirts of Berlin and the easternmost reaches of the former garrison town of Potsdam, you will find a place of quite staggering natural beauty, a retreat of such serenity that for more than 200 years it was the favoured playground of the princes and princesses of Prussia.

I decided to begin my own journey to the Glienicke Bridge by water, taking a 90-minute round-trip cruise from Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg, which in East German times was a key listening post on neighbouring West Berlin.

It was a cool mid-October morning and the trees lining the banks of the River Havel glimmered with the glories of the season: deep reds, browns, yellows and darker greens. Within minutes we’d left the city walls behind and, at the point at which the river broadens into the Tiefer See (lake), found ourselves steaming alongside the Babelsburg Park. I watched a solitary man playing with his dog on a deserted stretch of shore and drank in the sumptuousness of the surroundings, cascading trees capped by the Babelsberg Palace, a fantastical English Gothic Revival-style construction that served as the summer residence of the man who became Kaiser Wilhelm I. Then I saw the bridge itself, unmistakable in the distance. It may not be the prettiest or the boldest, but in its current form – the steel incarnation erected at the beginning of the 20th century to cope with the ever-growing traffic between Berlin and Potsdam – it has a simple elegance; a pleasing symmetry; a Teutonic solidity.

We sailed right under the spot at which those spies were exchanged and on along the Havel, taking in an eclectic assortment of towers, turrets and spires on our way towards the “Peacock Island” – once home to a royal zoo containing monkeys, bears, alligators and snakes – and the last of the palaces built by the ruling Hohenzollerns: Cecilienhof, an English Tudor-style mansion that in August 1945 found itself catapulted into the limelight as the setting for the postwar Potsdam Conference involving Stalin, Truman and Churchill (and later Attlee).

Anyone wanting to find out more about the history of the Glienicke Bridge – and indeed Germany – should call in on the Villa Schöningen, a short ride from Potsdam on the 93 tram, my next mode of transport. Beautifully restored to its pristine, early 19th-century condition, it now houses an excellent exhibition detailing the physical history of the bridge itself (originally | 79 |

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made of wood, then stone, then finally steel, a reconstruction of the 1907 version that was blown up as the Red Army advanced on Berlin towards the end of the war) and the dramatic events that unfolded here during the height of the Cold War. There is great video footage of John F Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev squaring up to each other in the run-up to the 1962 exchange of Powers and Abel; there’s a telling interview with Nathan Sharansky revealing that the reason that he had his hands so firmly clasped around his waist as he walked across to freedom in 1986 was that his trousers were too large and he feared they would fall down.

There are some gruesome exhibits – including the blocks of nails that were laid in the Havel as an extra deterrent to East Germans who thought there might be a chance of swimming to the other side. There are more joyous ones, too – especially those depicting the lines of Trabants driving over the bridge on November 10, 1989 – just hours after it emerged that the Berlin Wall was no more.

It was at the Villa Schöningen that I spotted an intriguing flyer – “High Noon at Glienicke Bridge” – and discovered to my astonishment that it is now possible to arrange a talk and tour of the bridge with one of the men who had been exchanged in the June 1985 spy swap – Eberhard Fätkenheuer, a former CIA agent and arguably the most fascinating guide in the whole of Berlin.

I arranged to meet him and hear his story: of the school years in which he began to fall foul of the East German authorities; of an unlikely friendship in his twenties with a young man from Vienna who, having spent years building up trust, asked if he would be prepared to spy for the Americans; of clandestine training sessions on Lake Balaton south of Budapest; of assignments, since Fätkenheuer’s job was to observe and report on troops and missile movements of the Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces based on East German soil; of the sense of risk, excitement and elation he felt at the time; and of the subsequent fear when he was found out and sentenced to prison (he served six years). Did he have any regrets? “None at all. I was convinced I was

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working for the good; I was an undercover agent working for the free world. I felt a bit like a James Bond. And I like the fact that now, at the age of 71, I am an ex-spy who also serves as a bit of an entertainer.” I could have talked with him a lot longer, but felt that it was time to cross the Glienicke myself.

It was nearly dusk as I walked the few yards from the villa to the bridge and the fading light lent it a very atmospheric quality. There was a modest flow of cars travelling in each direction; tourists on Segways laughed as they crossed in convoy. A couple holding hands walked across in the opposite direction.

I made my way to the middle and placed one foot on each side of that faint white line and reflected on just how momentous that step used to be. Then I took in the view from the bridge itself – to Babelsberg Palace on one side and Peacock Island on the other. I found myself agreeing with the great explorer Alexander von Humboldt: “The view from the Glienicke Bridge can compete with the most beautiful in the world.”

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Find your inner Bond at the Spy Museum, Berlin

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t did not take me long to connect with my own inner James Bond. I was in the Berlin Spy Museum, one of the city’s newest attractions, located at Potsdamer Platz, and for many years the heavily guarded no-man’s-land that divided East and West in the centre of the city.

I’d enjoyed looking at the museum’s many and varied exhibits – from an original Enigma coding machine to a lipstick pistol to an umbrella of the kind used to poison the Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov on Waterloo Bridge in London.

I’d read with interest the accounts of espionage through the ages (Cromwell had a pretty effective secret service, as did the ancient Persian King Cyrus II). I’d read again about the intriguing life of First World War spy extraordinaire Mata Hari and watched a film demonstrating how men possessing sensitive information were tricked out of it by women using their “honey trap” charms.

Then, next to the display of James Bond gadgets through the ages, I’d stumbled upon the room set up with laser beams through which aspiring spies could try to navigate a path. With the Bond theme tune playing, Agent AB signed up to have a go.

As I looked at the sea of laser beams criss-crossing the room and tried to work out how to get through them, a few drops of sweat formed on the nape of my neck. Even at the lowest level of difficulty it required deft moves and clear thinking. Damn! A loud alarm went off as on my first attempt I touched one of the beams. I returned to the fray, all the more determined. And began to get the hang of it. Soon I was manoevering those beams with true Bond-like dexterity. And geting to the other side of the room. At first in 37 seconds, then in 22 (that said, someone else has managed it in just four). I had a go at the medium level (more lasers and much more difficult angles) – and eventually managed to complete that too.

Bridge Of Spies is showing in New Movies on ice.

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It was time to up my game and have a go at the hardest level (moving laser beams). That was a lot harder. But by now I was on something of a roll.

It’s a doddle this spy businesss. And I gather there may be something of a vacancy coming up in the 007 department.

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Essential news and information from Emirates New links to the Philippines

Inside Emirates

Route Map

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emirATes AirliNe fesTivAl of liTerATure The Emirates Airline Festival Of Literature has grown rapidly. The inaugural festival in 2008 was a five-day event with 65 authors. Now, eight years later, the event spans two weeks and features more than 150 authors from 30 countries.

Most impressive is the list of events that visitors can enjoy – from visits by stellar writers such as James Bond author Anthony Horowitz and actors Steven Berkoff, Meera Syal and Robert Lindsay, to Poetry Live! where students will get the chance to talk through their work with the poets they’re actually studying. There’s even a Literary Cruise along Dubai Creek featuring the philosopher AC Grayling, who’ll extol the virtues of literature to a like-minded audience.

Dina Al Herais, Vice President Commercial – VIP Customer Relations at Emirates, said, “The Emirates Airline Festival Of Literature is one of Dubai’s most diverse events that appeals to people of all ages and backgrounds. This year we’re confident that it will continue to offer even more opportunities for education, engagement and entertainment.”

Running from March 1 to 12, ticket prices start at Dhs50, with several children’s events and activities available free of charge. Tickets are available from the festival website and at select WHSmith stores across the UAE. emirateslitfest.com

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Q&A

Ian RankIn

We caught up with the awardwinning crime writer ahead of next month’s Emirates Airline Festival Of Literature in Dubai

How do you generate a realistic plot for your novels?

I begin with a theme I want to explore. There’s also usually the germ of a true story – maybe something I’ve read in a newspaper or magazine.

That gets my imagination working. I don’t do too much planning before I start. I just let the story tell me where it wants to go. So the first draft is quite rough. I do the bulk of the research before I write a second draft, and then the third draft is a polish. That’s what my publisher sees.

How does being a crime writer affect your life?

Emirates is launching a daily circular service from Dubai to Cebu (CEB) and Clark (CRK) in the Philippines.

Star ting March 30, a Boeing 777300ER aircraft will begin ser vice and strengthen international connectivity to two of the Philippines’ fastest-growing international hubs.

Thierr y Antinori, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates, said the opening of the ser vice “will enhance the choice for travellers in the Philippines, who will be able to conveniently connect to 39

cities in Europe, 16 in the Middle East as well as a number of destinations across our extensive network in Africa and the Americas”.

Emirates flights to Cebu and Clark will depar t daily from Dubai as EK 338 at 2.55am, arriving at Mactan-Cebu International Airpor t at 3.50pm.

The ser vice will then depar t from Cebu at 5.25pm and arrive at Clark International Airpor t at 6.45pm.

The return flight will depar t Clark at 8.20pm, arriving at Dubai International Airpor t at 1.25am the next day. | 86 |

I suppose I’m always looking for possible plots, so my imagination is drawn towards the more gruesome and offbeat stories in the news.

Just today someone on the street told me about a chainsaw kept in a cocktail bar in Edinburgh – it was there to cut the blocks of ice, but my mind started to ponder other, less savoury, uses.

What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Write lots, read widely, become self-critical, learn to differentiate between useful feedback and the other kind, get a thick skin (to deal with rejection), keep going, get lucky.

How about crime fiction set in Dubai?

Hmm. I can think of a few possible plots, but I’m not going to share them – I might need them some day.

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new routes to China

Emirates is demonstrating its commitment to mainland China with four weekly flights to Yinchuan (INC) and Zhengzhou (CGO).

Starting May 3, a Boeing 777-200LR will offer international connectivity to two of China’s fastest growing cities.

Flights to Yinchuan and Zhengzhou will depart on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from Dubai as EK 326 at 2.45am, arriving at Yinchuan Hedong

a380 to spreaD its wings in 2016

International Airpor t at 1.35pm.

The service will then depart from Yinchuan at 3.20pm and arrive at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport at 5pm.

The return flight, EK 327, will depart Zhengzhou at 9.10pm and arrive at Yinchuan at 10.55pm. It will then depart Yinchuan at 0.40am, ultimately arriving in Dubai at 4.30am.

TAKE OUR SURVEY Particularly enjoyed your lunch?

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Tell us what you really think and fill in our on-screen survey – the results are automatically sent back to our headquarters in Dubai every day.

The survey is available through ice Digital Widescreen on your seatback. Press ‘c’ for communications and then select ‘Passenger Surveys’ to begin.

get to your gate on time

Emirates is to roll out the iconic A380 aircraft to even more destinations across its network in 2016.

Washington, DC (IAD), Birmingham (BHX), Prague (PRG), and Taipei (TPE) have been added to the list of Emirates A380 destinations.

Star ting this month on February 1, the A380 serves Washington, DC. The aircraft up-gauge offers consumers travelling on the Washington, DC route the unique experience of Emirates’ flagship A380 aircraft, and a seamless Emirates A380 experience to many connecting destinations on the airline’s global network.

Emirates’ Birmingham flight, EK 39/40, will be up-gauged to an A380 beginning March 27, and A380 services to Prague and Taiwan will star t from May 1. Emirates will be the first and only airline to operate a scheduled A380 service from each of these three destinations.

Barcelona (BCN) will be served with a second daily A380 service from June 1, Los Angeles (LAX) will get a second daily A380 service on July 1, and Perth (PER) a second daily A380 on August 1.

Don't miss your flight Please make sure you get to your boarding gate on time.

Boarding starts 45 minutes before your flight and gates close 20 minutes before departure. If you report late we will not be able to accept you for travel.

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ULTIMATE FAN STORY Emirates delivered the surprise of the year to one A380 super-fan recently, with a VIP prize-of-a-lifetime for UAE resident Yves Heye.

This is the tale of his unforgettable aviation adventure Words: matt mostyn

the challenge was simple. tell emirates why you deserve the title of ‘Ultimate Fan of the a380’ in 380 words or fewer, and win a special VIP tour of Emirates’ first two-class-configured a380, to be unveiled at the dubai airshow.

For UAE resident Yves Heye, the opportunity was too good to pass up. Spotting the invitation on Facebook,Yves was one of thousands of people who entered, in the hope of becoming the envy of aviation enthusiasts everywhere.Yet it was his longstanding fondness for these magnificent planes that made his application stand out.

As he explains, “My interest in planes began from a very young age. My mother travelled a lot for work, and she would often bring home a model plane as a souvenir from her trips. I ended up having a huge collection, and my obsession with the world of aviation never really stopped, even through school.”

Yves had a particular fascination for speciality aircraft like the Concorde, as well as for fighter planes from the Second World War – but it was the A380 that held a special significance for him. “The A380 is such an iconic brand”, says Yves. “For me, their immense size and weight, combined with the fact that they can fly so slowly and majestically, is what makes them really special.They’re efficient, they’re spacious, and for me, they’re the future of air travel.”

Yet there’s another reason for Yves’ ongoing fascination. His mother once worked for Hewlett-Packard, selling on-board computers to Airbus in Europe, and so she gained some fascinating insights into the world of the A380 during the time they were being developed. “It was very interesting for me to hear about these new planes, and learn more about the processes involved in creating and building them,” he says.

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At the time, Yves was living in Hamburg, Germany, but he was considering relocating to the UAE to work as a firefighter and train the local teams in improved firefighting efficiencies. “I was in a restaurant with my parents discussing the possibility”, he recalls.

“Moving to the United Arab Emirates was a big step for me, so I wanted to make sure it was the right move. At that very moment, we saw our very first Emirates A380 in the sky through the restaurant window, flying low over the city on a test flight. It was like a sign for me, and so the decision to move to the UAE was made in that very moment.”

From witnessing the test flight of one of the first A380s, Yves’ relationship with the pride of the Emirates fleet stepped up a notch or ten, when he was treated to a special VIP tour of the new Emirates A380 at the Dubai Airshow. This brand new plane is the first of its kind, featuring a two-class configured (Economy and Business) on a daily scheduled to service Dubai to Copenhagen. While an Emirates two-class currently also flies to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Manchester, it marks the first time Scandinavia is able to enjoy a scheduled A380 service – and it’s not the only way that Emirates is making history. With better fuel efficiency than most modern small passenger cars (in terms of fuel economy per passenger kilometer), the new A380 has moved aviation one step closer to reduced emissions, without compromising on comfort.

“It was such a treat for me to experience this new plane”, says Yves. “I was shown around the cockpit for about an hour, which was amazing. The pilot patiently explained every detail. I found out, for instance, about the incredible amount of preparation that needs to be done before takeoff. I was shown virtually every aspect of the plane’s operation, from starting the engines to setting the autopilot, to braking on the runway during landing.”

There was one aspect to the tour that really surprised Yves. “It’s absolutely incredible just how automated the whole process is these days. These planes are able to fly and even land themselves. The pilot’s role is still very important, as they have to continually monitor the computer systems, and most importantly, anticipate what they’re is going to do next. I really have a newfound respect for these guys, after seeing what they’re in charge of!“ Yves was also able to walk around outside, which was another great moment. “How often do you get the opportunity to walk right up to one of these amazing feats of engineering, to look at the wheels and the engines, to study it close-up? That was impressive enough… so I was totally blown away when I was called back to the cockpit and pilot revealed some even more incredible news.”

Yves’ ‘Surprise of the Year’ – and the totally unexpected second part of his prize – was a visit to Toulouse, France, for an exclusive tour of the A380 manufacturing facility. And once Yves had collected his jaw from the floor and composed himself, he was duly flown to France for a tour of the A380 final assembly line, where he witnessed the birth of a brand new Emirates A380 as it went through production – one of over 60 on order. As Yves describes it, “the entire process of building an A380 takes around five to six weeks – and it was an awesome spectacle to be inside this huge hangar and witness the entire construction process.”

Yves was also shown around the facility’s so-called ‘Mockup

Centre’, which houses an original scale A380 (without wings) where customers like Emirates are able to go and inspect a fully functioning layout of what their plane cabins will look like. As Yves says, “It’s a brilliant way for customers to check out different design ideas and make any final tweaks before the designs are finalised.”

For the final part of his prize, Yves was given the chance to take the controls of an A380 himself, with a 40-minute flight from Toulouse to Marseilles inside an A380 flight simulator.

“This was incredibly impressive. It was so real.You feel every movement of the plane and even though the screen itself is artificial, everything else about it is 100 per cent true to life. In fact, the cockpit itself is built to exactly the same specifications as a real one.”

Taking the controls for the first time, Yves recalls his first impressions. “I was surprised by how responsive the controls were, and how little movement is needed to change direction or height.

I was also very impressed by the exceptional on-board safety standards. For one function there are up to six safety systems – which is incredibly reassuring to know.”

This moment alone was a particular highlight for the awestruck prize-winner. “Flying in the simulator was a once-ina-lifetime experience for me. They’re booked out a long time in advance for trainee pilots – so I felt very lucky to be there.”

Reflecting on his adventure,Yves is clearly delighted with the effort made to deliver such a great prize. “The opportunity to go to Toulouse and see all these things, was absolutely amazing, and I was actually quite overwhelmed by all that was done by Emirates and Airbus to make this such a memorable experience.”

Flying back to Dubai after the visit,Yves describes how privileged (and also reassured) he felt to have been given such a unique insight into these impressive planes. “Knowing what is going on in the cockpit during the flight makes me feel much more comfortable – and also somehow much more involved – in the experience of flying.”

“It’s been great to get an insight into the mechanics of these planes. I hadn’t really thought about it much before, and it’s easy to take flying for granted as you sit there reading your inflight magazine or watching TV. But for me, it’s a thrill and always so exciting to think I may be sitting in that same A380 we saw flying over Hamburg that fateful day I decided to change my life.”

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BIRMINGHAM Starting March 27, Emirates will be the first and only airline to operate a scheduled A380 service from Birmingham Airport.

Enjoy our guide to Britain’s fantastic second city Birmingham is a metropolis on the rise, and right now is deservedly glittering in its self-made spotlight. Ambitions contained within the Big City Plan are coming to fruition and the reinvigoration of New Street Station, coupled with an impressive extension of the tram line through the city, have had a dramatic impact and boosted its reputation.

The multi-million-pound Library Of Birmingham is an architectural and resource gem, while the Symphony Hall and

hippodrome provide world-class venues for concerts and events.

Birmingham’s rich industrial past is brought to life while lovers of bling will appreciate the Jewellery Quar ter, chocoholics have Cadbury World, and the Pen Museum competes with the Coffin Works in terms of unique attractions.

The city comes alive at night with exceptional club nights suppor ted by a burgeoning dining scene that is continually producing eateries for all palettes and budgets.

EAT

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ADAM’S The perfect example of a restaurant at the top of its game.

Chef Adam Stokes has taken Birmingham by storm with his ability to tackle traditional flavour combinations and give them a new lease of life. adamsrestaurant.co.uk

HOTEL DU VIN & BISTRO A character property with warm and inviting boutique rooms, the hotel also boasts a central location. Staff are friendly, while the bistro is a convenient option for a delightful dining experience. hotelduvin.com

HEAD BACK IN TIME Tour the carefully restored terraced houses that give a fascinating insight into working class life in Birmingham in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Informative and educational, the experience is expertly overseen

by The National trust. Booking ahead is essential. nationaltrust.org

SAN CARLO San Carlo is now an international restaurant group serving delightful Italian fare across a variety of brands, but the journey began in Birmingham. A great spot to impress without a stuffy atmosphere, the focus is on top-quality food and a buzzing ambience. sancarlo.co.uk

STAYING COOL AT THE ROTUNDA Bang in the city centre with spectacular views via floorto-ceiling windows, there are plenty of reasons why this iconic building is one of the best places to stay in Birmingham. The apartments are well equipped and tastefully furnished. Parking is also available. stayingcool.com

THE KINGFISHER Birmingham is known as the home of the British curry and Indian restaurants are plentiful.

The Kingfisher is a great example of an establishment focussing on quality at a reasonable price in an otherwise ordinary part of the city. Try the juicy prawn dish jhinga bhunna. kingfisher-birmingham.co.uk

THE PREMIER INN Found right next to the city centre train station, the location is only surpassed by the cleanliness and value for money. Surprisingly quiet considering its position, the hotel also provides quality fare at very reasonable prices.

Unsurprisingly, it’s an incredibly popular budget spot. premierinn.com

DISCOVER THINKTANK There’s plenty for all the family to see and do at this ambitious science museum. Natural sciences, history, space and a host of other topics are covered.

The planetarium is fascinating, but the winning element is the abundance of interactivity. birminghammuseums.org.uk SHOP IN THE BULLRING While there are plenty of new shopping experiences in Birmingham, the iconic Bullring mall houses major brand names and is easy to navigate. Plenty of food options are available, or grab a coffee and watch the crowds shop until they drop. bullring.co.uk

emirates staff tips GET MEDIEVAL

“Warwick Castle is one of the best preserved in England, and has a regular show with jousting knights.”

Andrew Sloane Learning and Development Specialist

HONOUR THE BARD

“William Shakespeare’s hometown of StratfordUpon-Avon is nearby.

It attracts millions of tourists every year.”

Rebecca Evans Ticket Desk Supervisor

The addition of an A380 on this route follows the recent introduction of Emirates’ third daily flight to Birmingham as well as the airline’s milestone 15th year of operations to the city.

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C o M F o R t

WELLNESS IN THE AIR To help you arrive at your destination feeling relaxed and refreshed, Emirates has developed this collection of helpful travel tips.

Regardless of whether you need to rejuvenate for your holiday or be effective at achieving your goals on a business trip, these simple tips will help you enjoy your journey and time on board with Emirates today.

SMART TRAVELLER

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER Rehydrate with water or juices frequently. Drink tea and coffee in moderation.

TRAVEL LIGHTLY

WEAR GLASSES

Carry only the essential items that you will need during your flight.

Cabin air is drier than normal, therefore swap your contact lenses for glasses.

BEFORE YOUR JOURNEY Consult your doctor before travelling if you have any medical concerns about making a long journey, or if you suffer from a respiratory or cardiovascular condition.

Plan for the destination – will you need any vaccinations or special medications?

Get a good night’s rest before the flight.

Eat lightly and sensibly.

AT THE AIRPORT

USE SKIN MOISTURISER Apply a good quality moisturiser to ensure your skin doesn’t dry out.

KEEP MOVING Exercise your lower legs and calf muscles.

This encourages blood flow.

DURING THE FLIGHT

Allow yourself plenty of time for check-in.

Avoid carrying heavy bags through the airport and onto the flight as this can place the body under considerable stress.

Once through to departures try and relax as much as possible.

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Chewing and swallowing will help equalise your ear pressure during ascent and descent.

Babies and young passengers may suffer more acutely with popping ears, therefore consider providing a dummy.

Get as comfortable as possible when resting and turn frequently.

Avoid sleeping for long periods in the same position.

MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE Loosen clothing, remove jacket and avoid anything pressing against your body.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE Try some light exercise, or read if you can’t sleep after arrival.

V i s a s ,

q u i c k

c o n n e c t

Guide to us customs & immiGration Whether you’re travelling to, or through, the United States today, this simple guide to completing the US customs form will help to ensure that your journey is as hassle free as possible.

CUSToMS DECLARATIoN FoRM All passengers arriving into the US need to complete a Customs Declaration Form. If you are travelling as a family this should be completed by one member only. The form must be completed in English, in capital letters, and must be signed where indicated.

ElEctronic SyStEm for travEl authoriSation (ESta) If you are an international traveller wishing to enter the United States under the Visa Waiver Programme, You must apply for electronic authorisation (ESTA) up to 72 hours prior to your departure.

ESta factS: Children and infants require an individual ESTA. The online ESTA system will inform you whether your application has been authorised, not authorised or if authorisation is pending.

A successful ESTA application is valid for two years, however this may be revoked or will expire along with your passport. apply onlinE at www.cbp.gov/ESta nationalitiES EligiblE for thE viSa waivEr*: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom** * SubjEct to changE ** only britiSh citizEnS qualify undEr thE viSa waivEr programmE. | 96 |

&

q u a r a n t i n e

i n f o r m a t i o n

Cut the queue at JFK with quiCK ConneCt If you’re connecting through New York JFK, you can avoid long waiting times in US immigration and queues for connecting flights with the Quick Connect service. US Customs and Border Protection Agency created the special service for passengers who have a connecting flight within three hours of arrival at New York JFK.

Follow theSe StePS:

1

2

3

4

have your boarding card or ticket for your connecting flight ready for the ground staff as you exit.

You’ll be given a Quick Connect card. Continue to the Quick Connect queue in the Arrivals hall.

After passport clearance, claim your baggage and clear US customs, regardless of your final destination.

If your bag is tagged to your final destination, hand it to emirates staff at the transfer counter for your onward flight.

quarantine in australia Australia has strict biosecurity laws, so when you arrive you’ll need to declare certain food, plant or animal items on your Incoming Passenger Card.

You also need to declare equipment or shoes used in rivers and lakes or with soil attached. All aircraft food must be left on board. Please take particular care when you complete your Incoming Passenger Card – it's a legal document and false declarations may result in a penalty.

quarantine in Japan Japan has strict rules around exposure to livestock and bringing in livestock items.

You will need to go to the Animal Quarantine Counter if: • you have recently been to a livestock farm • are bringing livestock products into Japan • your visit to Japan will involve contact with livestock the counter is in the baggage claim area. If you’re bringing meat and livestock products into Japan without an import certificate, you must see the animal quarantine officer. | 97 |

u a e

S m a r t

G a t e

Be sMart! use uae sMart Gate at DuBai international airport

NATIONALITIES THAT CAN USE UAE SMART GATES

UAE

Andorra

Australia

Austria

Bahrain

Belgium

Brunei

Canada

Denmark

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Kuwait

Liechtenstein

Luxembourg

Malaysia

Monaco

Netherlands

New Zealand

Norway

Oman

Portugal

Qatar

San Marino

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

South Korea

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

*UK

USA

GO THROUGH IMMIGRATION IN SECONDS AND GET YOUR VISIT TO DUBAI OFF TO A FLYING START Citizens of the countries listed on the right and UAe residents can speed through Dubai International airport by using UAe Smart Gate.

If you hold a machine-readable passport or e-Gate card you can check in and out of the airport within seconds.

Just look out for signs that will direct you to the many UAe Smart Gates found on either side of the Immigration hall at Dubai International airport.

USING UAe SMARt GAte IS eASY

1

have your e-Gate card or machinereadable passport ready to be scanned

2

Place your passport photo page on the scanner. If you are a UAe resident, place your e-Gate card into the e-Gate slot

OK!

3

Go through the open gate, stand in the blue footprint guide on the floor, face the camera straight-on and stand still for your iris scan.

When finished, the next set of gates will open and you can continue to baggage claim

*uK citizens only (uK overseas citizens still require a visa)

REGISTERING FOR UAE SMART GATE IS EASY to register, just follow the above process and then spend a few moments having your details validated by an immigration officer. That’s it! Every time you fly to Dubai in future, you will be out of the airport and on your way just minutes after you landed. | 98 |

UAE SMART GATE CAN BE USED BY:

• machine-readable passports from the above countries • e-Gate cards

YOUR CONCRETE PRODUCT REQUIREMENT OUR PRODUCTION SYSTEM SOLUTION

ONE OF THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICALLY EQUIPPED FULLY AUTOMATIC PRODUCTION LINES FOR YOUR COMPLETE RANGE OF CONCRETE PRODUCTS

AIR PURIFYING BLOCKS UV pollutant

(E.G.Nox)

clean air

TIO2

ILLUMINATED TECHNOLOGY

AIR PURIFYING TECHNOLOGY

Fujian Excellence Honcha Environmental Intelligence Equipment Co. Ltd

Head Office: 3-16B, Quanzhou Economic & Technological Development Zone, Quanzhou, Fujian 362005, China Factory: Xuefen, Huaqiao Economic Development Zone, Nan’an Fujian, 362300, China Tel. No: (86-595) 2249 6062 , 2249 6066, 2249 6070 | Fax. No: (86-595) 2249 6061 Web: en.honcha.com | E-mail: marketing@hcm.cn , enquiry@honcha.com

r o u t e

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m a P

r o u t e

m a P

NEW ROUTES: Cebu and Clark: daily service starts March 30 Panama City: daily service starts March 31 yinchuan and Zhengzhou: four times weekly service service starts May 3

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THE FLEET Our fleet contains 250 aircraft made up of 235 passenger aircraft and 15 cargo aircraft BOEING 777-300ER

emirates is the world’s largest operator of this aircraft, which joined the fleet in 2005.

Number of Aircraft: 114 Capacity: 354-442 Range: 14,594km Length: 73.9m Wingspan: 64.8m

BOEING 777-300

Since 1999, Emirates operates two and three-class versions of the 777-300.

Number of Aircraft: 12 Capacity: 364 Range: 11,029km Length: 73.9m Wingspan: 60.9m

BOEING 777-200LR

Number of Aircraft: 10 Capacity: 266 Range: 17,446km Length: 63.7m Wingspan: 64.8m

BOEING 777-200ER

In 2005, the Boeing 777-200LR set a new world record for distance travelled non-stop when it landed at Heathrow airport, London, after a journey of 21,601km (11,664 nautical miles) from Hong Kong - the long way round. Emirates received its first 777-200LR in August 2007.

Emirates’ first Boeing 777-200ER joined the fleet in 1997.

Number of Aircraft: 6 Capacity: 274 Range: 14,310km Length: 63.7m Wingspan: 60.9m

BOEING 777F

Number of Aircraft: 13 Range: 9,260km Length: 63.7m Wingspan: 64.8m For more information: emirates.com/ourfleet | 104 |

The most environmentally-friendly freighter operated today, with the lowest fuel burn of any comparablysized cargo aircraft. Along with its wide main-deck cargo door which can accommodate oversized consignments, it is also capable of carrying up to 103 tonnes of cargo non-stop on 10-hour sector lengths.

AIRBUS A380-800

emirates has operated the A380 since 2008, and is the world’s largest operator of this aircraft.

Number of Aircraft: 74 Capacity: 489-615 Range: 15,000km Length: 72.7m Wingspan: 79.8m

AIRBUS A340-500

this ultra-long range passenger airliner was introduced to the Emirates fleet in 2003. This saw the launch of the First Class Suite which has since been rolled out on the Boeing 777 and Airbus A380.

Number of Aircraft: 1 Capacity: 258 Range: 16,050km Length: 67.9m Wingspan: 63.4m

AIRBUS A340-300

Similar in many respects to emirates A330-200s, the A340-300 is equipped with four engines giving it an enhanced range.

Number of Aircraft: 4 Capacity: 267 Range: 13,350km Length: 63.6m Wingspan: 60.3m

AIRBUS A330-200

First added to the fleet in 1999, this aircraft operates predominately on shorter-haul routes.

Number of Aircraft: 14 Capacity: 237-278 Range: 12,200km Length: 58.8m Wingspan: 60.3m

BOEING 747-400ERF

Number of Aircraft: 2 Range:9,204km Length: 70.6m Wingspan: 64.4m aircraft numbers through end February 2016 | 105 |

this aircraft is capable of carrying up to 117 tonnes. the deck-side cargo door, with a height of approximately three metres, allows the uplift of oversized shipments that cannot be accommodated in the belly-hold of passenger aircraft. the nose door allows the carriage of long pieces.

K n o w l e d g e

destination

How a city works. This month: Munich I guess we have to go home and change

you can surF in the park Englischer Garten is home to City Surfing River – an artificial stream that uses a special pumping mechanism to create big surfing waves at one particular spot.

Food is taken seriously Munich’s famous white sausages are only served before noon, usually with mustard and pretzels. So have a light breakfast if you’re after one.

Football makes people happy Football-mad Munich was recently named Europe’s third most liveable city. Their main team, Bayern, is Europe’s third most successful in history. Coincidence?

source: englischer Garten

source: munich tourist board

source: eiu.com

Munich has the third biggest park space in the world 2

3

4

5

Bois de Boulogne, Paris (845 hectares)

Phoenix Park, Dubin (707 hectares)

Englischer Garten, Munich (566 hectares)

Central Park, New York (341 hectares)

Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens, London (253 hectares)

city Facts

hIstorIcaL Indeed!

weee!

1

Ninety per cent of Munich’s old town was rubble by the end of 1945, with almost every historical building seen today rebuilt afterwards from the original plans.

wrong sLIde!

At Munich’s TUM university there are four-storey high slides to help students get to classes quicker. source: munich council

source: munich council

The major streets of the old town of Munich were pedestrianised for the Olympics in 1972 and have stayed pedestrian-only ever since. source: munich council

oktoberfest in nuMbers

Looks LIke we’LL be workIng forever mILLIons!

Each year 4,000 items pass through Oktoberfest’s lost and found...

... they’re left by six million annual visitors...

... around 9,000 of whom will be wearing traditional lederhosen. | 106 |

Visitors will add US$1.1 billion to Munich’s accounts…

…though 7,000 to 10,000 will need the Red Cross’ help at some point.

#SaySĂŹ

armanibeauty.com

Cate Blanchett