While some UAE residents spend quarantine perfecting their bread making skills and watching Netflix, a 7-year-old Dubai resident is showing people how it's done by producing incredible stop-motion movie clips using Lego pieces.
Kings School Al Barsha pupil Martin Nikolenko, 7, has put his abundance of time spent indoors to good use in recent days by creating mini movies with his father, Alexey Nikolenko.
And just as well as Martin has plenty of time on his hands, because his 50-second clip took him a whopping five hours to make.
The clip, first posted on his own Instagram page and then to Reddit, has drawn widespread praise from admirers.
The mini movies use Lego characters and the stop-motion filming technique, where the camera is repeatedly stopped and started as the subjects are moved and put into new positions, to give the impression of movement.
Martin's film is entitled "quarantine escape", and follows a Lego man's attempts to escape the family's house: first in a car, then up the family's stairs, then by drone and tow truck, until finally he parachutes from an upstairs window – only to fall achingly short of his final hurdle: the front gate.
"The idea of the series is to show several unsuccessful attempts of escaping the quarantine," father Alexey Nikolenko tells The National.
"The first episode took us around five hours from the first picture till the final version with music."
Russian expatriate Nikolenko has been living in Dubai since 2010 with his wife.
Martin has many hobbies (for instance, he has been snowboarding since he was 2), Nikolenko says, but unfortunately many were now not possible due to the movement restrictions in Dubai.
"Because of the quarantine, his hobbies are limited to music only, so we were trying to do something new," he says.
"It was his idea to build a parachute and then we decided to film it, which in the end turned into a movie. I was helping him with a camera, while Martin was basically 'directing; the film, moving the figures and creating the story."
Nikolenko says he hadn't considered uploading it to anywhere until seeing the final product and thinking "wow, we need to share this".
It would now become a series, showing the Lego character's pursuit in escaping quarantine; first via parachute and the second instalment was now being worked on.
"Martin is now very excited and we are working on the second episode. I don’t know, maybe we have the next Martin Scorsese, maybe he will lose interest soon, but for now it’s important for us that we have a lot of new things to do and those things are not boring at all."
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- 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
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
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General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
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Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
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Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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South Korea
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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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
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
