DUBAI // A slew of high-profile concerts were cancelled as a result of the three-day mourning period announced in the UAE to honour the late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Friday night’s free concert by the German-based world music ensemble Tabadoul Orchestra, at the Abu Dhabi Theatre, and Sunday’s Dubai date at the Madinat Theatre have both been shelved, a statement released by organisers, the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region, and the German embassy of the UAE, said.
The Dubai Shopping Festival also announced “the cessation of all entertainment and musical activities” until Monday, a statement said.
This means Friday night’s Kuwaiti double bill of Abdallah Al Rowaishid and Nawal El Kuwaitia will not take place.
Also scrapped is the debut UAE performance and album launch by independent Lebanese artist Tania Saleh, which was to be held as part of the shopping festival’s OTB Market Place showcase at South Ridge Park in Downtown Dubai on Friday.
The festival concert series will resume next weekend with its final two concerts. On Thursday, Palestine’s Mohammed Assaf will team up with the Emirati-Lebanese starlet Diana Hadid. The following night the UAE superstar Hussain Al Jaimi and Iraqi crooner Kadim Al Sahir pair up for the final performance.
The mourning period has also affected the emirate of Sharjah, which has been a hive of musical activity of late. Friday night’s much anticipated charity concert by acclaimed Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi at the new Al Majaz Amphitheatre has been rescheduled for Monday night (January 26).
Meanwhile, the fate of the second Sharjah World Music Festival, which was due to end on Sunday, remains up in the air.
The event’s organisers, the Sharjah Investment Development Authority (Shurooq) and Furat Qaddouri Music Centre, have indefinitely postponed the remaining two dates at the Flag Island Amphitheatre on Saturday and Sunday, which was due to feature Syrian jazz singer Lena Chamamyan and Lebanese folk singer Oumeima El Khalil, respectively.
It remains to be seen whether these concerts will go ahead with new dates or whether this year’s edition of the festival has ended prematurely.
A string of other events have yet to officially announce whether they will go ahead on Friday night.
They include the Sangam – A World Music Confluence concert, featuring Grammy award-winning Indian maestro Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt, at Dubai’s Madinat Theatre, and the sold-out comedy show Desi Laughs, with AIB and Abish Mathew, at the the Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre.
One performance presently set to go ahead on Friday night, however, is the Jashn-E-Ishq sufi music concert at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, featuring Pakistani singer Abida Parveen.
When a fan inquired on the event’s Facebook page if the concert would be cancelled, the page administrator replied “It’s on, not cancelled.”
sasaeed@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Price, base / as tested Dh960,000
Engine 3.9L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power 661hp @8,000rpm
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Fuel economy, combined 11.4L / 100k
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
Wonka
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
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The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
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BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
