As physical media continues its comeback, The National rounds up the best releases across film, music, art and more.
Abu Dhabi Bright by Myrna Ayad
Walking into a well-curated living room, boutique or cafe oft means you're greeted by the ubiquitous, and colourful, Assouline coffee table travel book. This month, Abu Dhabi is being given the Assouline treatment.
Written by cultural expert and art writer Myrna Ayad, the visual book weaves stunning images of the UAE capital with a look back at its captivating story. Ayad also highlights must-see and must-do attractions, including Louvre Abu Dhabi and Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, as well as the historic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the desert oasis of Al Ain.
The book is out on June 11, so I will be adding it to my coffee table book collection sharpish.
Farah Andrews, head of features
Ken Andi Habib by Freh Khodja
Algerian saxophone player Freh Khodja is a cult figure among collectors and DJs who specialise in Arabic grooves. His 1975 album Ken Andi Habib, which blends Arabic music, Caribbean and Latin grooves and funk, is among his best work. Recorded in Paris while Khodja was a member of the African diaspora group Les Flemmes, the album sounds even better 50 years on – not only for its danceable rhythm section, but for Khodja’s vocals. It's being re-released on vinyl by French record label Wewantsounds and will have you grooving either on the dance floor or your apartment floor.
William Mullally, arts & culture editor
Tour of Japan by Minyo Crusaders
There’s no easy way to define Tour of Japan, but its charm is in its eclecticism.
The 2023 album is the second studio release by the Minyo Crusaders, a group renowned for their experimentations with Japanese folk music. They draw their name from a genre of traditional Japanese music called minyo.
The tracks on Tour of Japan have roots in songs performed by Japanese fishermen, coal miners and sumo wrestlers. They have been completely reinvented by the band’s innovative arrangements.
Charged with Latin, jazz and Caribbean rhythms, Minyo Crusaders' compositions incorporate sounds unexpected in Japanese folk, from synthesisers and drum machines to robust brass sections and distorted guitars.
Tour of Japan is due for release on vinyl on June 13.
Razmig Bedirian, features writer
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
I recently read Ocean Vuong’s semi-autobiographical debut novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, and it shattered me. Published in 2019 and written in the form of letters from a son to his mother, it is achingly beautiful, weaving Vuong’s tragic family story as a Vietnamese asylum seeker in the US into a powerful narrative about memories, human bonds and home.
While he has published many poems and essays, The Emperor of Gladness is only Vuong’s second novel, and was recently picked by Oprah Winfrey for her book club.
It follows a 19-year-old boy who decides to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge but is urged by an old woman to reconsider. The old woman, who has dementia, and the boy then form an unusual kinship and decide to face the world together. I can’t wait for my copy to arrive.
David Tusing, assistant features editor
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
Yukio Mishima was one of Japan’s most acclaimed authors, and one of its most controversial. After an award-winning literary career, the author gathered a group of loyal followers in order to restore the Japanese emperor to power, attempted to launch a coup from a military garrison and took his own life when they failed.
Since his death, many have delved into his life and work and the events that shaped him. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, the 1985 film by American director Paul Schrader, is perhaps the most enduring international examination of Mishima’s life.
The film uses vignettes from the author’s novels to juxtapose his writing against the events of his life. These tableaus serve as a mirror between fiction and reality.
Previously released on DVD and Blu-ray, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters arrives in 4K from The Criterion Collection in June.
Faisal Al Zaabi, gaming and social media writer
Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman
Laura Lippman is a distinctive voice in mystery fiction. Stephen King called her “special, even extraordinary” and Gillian Flynn wrote: “She is simply a brilliant novelist.” Here she returns with a wickedly smart mystery featuring Muriel Blossom, a sharp-eyed widow with a past in private investigation and a disarming talent for going unnoticed.
When she stumbles on a winning lottery ticket, Mrs Blossom trades her quiet Baltimore life for a river cruise through France on the MS Solitaire. On the flight over, she meets Allan, a charming man who briefly reignites her long-dormant sense of romance – until he turns up dead in Paris the next day.
As the ship winds down the Seine, Mrs Blossom is drawn into a web of secrets, stolen art and suspicious men who keep showing up when something goes wrong.
Lippman weaves intrigue and wit into this stylish caper about reinvention, revenge and what happens when a 68-year-old woman refuses to disappear. Described as White Lotus meets Only Murders in the Building by its UK publisher Faber, what's not to like?
Nasri Atallah, editor of The National's Luxury magazine
Freaky Tales
Portmanteau films show several stories and present them as intertwining and connected. Wild Tales, Fantasia and Sin City are just some examples. The most recent, and perhaps one of the most exciting entries to the genre is Freaky Tales by directing duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who previously directed Captain Marvel.
Set in Oakland, California in 1987, the film is a nostalgic trip filled with crime, alien powers, basketball and buckets of blood. Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn and Jay Ellis star in this raucous adventure that deserves a place in everyone’s library.
Freaky Tales is being released in a VHS-style case to evoke the experience of renting the film from a video shop in the 1980s.
Faisal Al Zaabi, gaming and social media writer
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The five pillars of Islam
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
