Christina Aguilera arrives at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, for a press conference before her concert.
Christina Aguilera arrives at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, for a press conference before her concert.

Aguilera set for Middle East debut



ABU DHABI // Pop star Christina Aguilera said she decided to make her live Middle East debut in Abu Dhabi, as it was the "hot new place to go". And the diminutive singer, known for her love of the party lifestyle, said she was looking forward to exploring the city after tomorrow's concert at the Emirates Palace Hotel. "I am only here a few days but I plan to have a few nice dinners and possibly see what the night life has in store for us," she said. "The city is really building up. There are great places to eat, great night life as well as beaches. It seems to have everything to offer." Aguilera is expected to perform in front of an audience of 20,000 on the lawns of Emirates Palace although, unlike previous artists including Justin Timberlake, tickets to the event are still available. They are priced from Dh295 to Dh890 (US$80 to $222). The concert will be the biggest-budget music production the country has ever seen with a 14-piece backing band, a light show and a fireworks display. The Abu Dhabi show is part of the singer's Back to Basics tour, to promote her latest multi-platinum-selling album. More subdued and sophisticated than some of her earlier shows, the tour has seen Aguilera return to her soul roots, the genre she has said most inspires her music. The singer, who in February gave birth to her first child, Max, also spoke of her new life as a working mother and claimed her child had become her inspiration to take up more vigourous campaigning for children's rights and against domestic violence. Aguilera, a former child star, rose to fame after a string of hit songs including Genie in a Bottle and What a Girl Wants.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

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.

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

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Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes

Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule

Thursday December 27

Men's quarter-finals

Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm

Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm

Women's exhibition

Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm

Friday December 28

5th place play-off 3pm

Men's semi-finals

Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm

Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm

Saturday December 29

3rd place play-off 5pm

Men's final 7pm


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