The line-up for next year's Abu Dhabi Comedy Season will include Bill Burr, Kevin Hart, and Trevor Noah.
The superstar comedians are among the international names coming to the UAE capital, as part of a series of shows taking place on Abu Dhabi's Yas Island from April until July, an expansion from this year's Abu Dhabi Comedy Week, which took place in May. All tickets will go on sale from December 23 at 10am.
Burr, who is considered one of the most influential comics of his generation and received an Emmy Award nomination last year for the comedy series Immoral Compass, will take the stage at Etihad Arena on July 12.
The festival also features Hart, named Yas Island's chief island officer in 2022, who returns to Etihad Arena on May 2 after a sell-out show in Dubai in March.
Another seasoned UAE performer, Noah, will bring his Off the Record tour to Abu Dhabi on April 26 following a Dubai show in May. The Emmy-winning comedian and former The Daily Show host’s set explores global issues ranging from politics to multiculturalism.
Other big names joining the line-up include Michael McIntyre on May 1. Recognised as one of the UK's biggest-selling comedians, he continues to sell out arenas across the UK and US. His 2020 Netflix special Showman was one of the most-watched comedy shows on the streaming service that year.
Making his Abu Dhabi debut on May 3 will be Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias. The comedian made history as the first person to sell out Los Angeles's Dodger Stadium in 2022, a feat captured in his 2022 Netflix special Stadium Fluffy.
Gad Elmaleh rounds off the first tranche of performers. The multi-lingual French comedian will perform on May 30.
Abu Dhabi Comedy Week earlier this year included performances by Dave Chappelle, Andrew Schulz and Bassem Youssef.
Abu Dhabi Comedy Season 2025 line-up
Trevor Noah, April 26
Kevin Hart, May 2
Gabriel Iglesias, May 3
Michael McIntyre, May 10
Gad Elmaleh, May 30
Bill Burr, July 12
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law