The weather is not the only thing heating up.
The UAE concert calendar is set to bounce back at the beginning of the Eid holidays next month with eclectic shows featuring Arabic pop stars, Bollywood royalty, DJs and one of the world’s biggest pop-rock groups.
To start planning, here are 10 shows to see in the UAE in May and June. All shows in Abu Dhabi require vaccinated guests to show their green pass on Al Hosn app upon arrival. Those not vaccinated are required to present a negative PCR test taken no more than 96 hours in advance of the show.
1. Amr Diab: May 3 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
The Egyptian singer will make his concert debut at the Yas Island venue.
Diab has been the reigning pop king in the Mena region since his 1983 debut album Ya Tareea.
He also made a mark beyond the Arabic-speaking world with his 1996 hit Nour El Ain, which became one of the most popular songs to come out of the Middle East.
Doors open at 7pm; from Dh100; etihadarena.ae
2. Nassif Zeytoun and Rahma Riad: May 3 at Dubai Festival City Mall
Since winning the 2010 talent show Star Academy, Syrian singer Nassif Zeytoun has built a solid solo career, with hits including Bi Rabbek and Mesh Aam Tezbat Maae.
Zeytoun's latest move is singing the theme song to Lebanese television drama Lil Mout 2, which is on nightly throughout Ramadan on Lebanese channel MTV.
Also performing a separate set is Rahma Riad. The up-and-coming Iraqi singer recently released her new single Sa'et Ramil.
Doors open at 8.30pm; from Dh195; dubai.platinumlist.net
3. Afrojack and Steve Aoki: May 3 at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai
Two EDM titans will perform in what should be an exuberant night of back-to-back hits.
Dutch DJ Afrojack has been performing since he was a teenager and has found international success through a number of crossover hits including 2010’s Take Over Control. He also contributed to the production of Beyonce's 2011 anthem Run the World (Girls).
In 2021, Afrojack achieved a career-high ranking of 6th place in DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs list.
US spinner Steve Aoki has released six albums, including the Grammy Award-nominated Wonderland. In 2019, he released his memoir, Blue: The Color of Noise.
Doors open at 8pm; from Dh195; coca-cola-arena.com
4. Kadim Al Sahir and Sherine Abdel Wahab: May 4 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Two popular Arab pop stars are teaming up for a night of exquisite balladry.
Nicknamed “the Caesar of Arabic songs” and "Iraq's ambassador to the world", Kadim Al Sahir is one of the most successful Arab singers and has been putting out music since the 1980s.
Fans who attend can expect to hear classics such as Ana Wa Laila (Me and Laila), Ha Habibi and Dhomni Ala Sadrak.
As for Abdel Wahab, expect a greatest hits set including songs such as Sabri Aleel and Hobbo Ganna.
Doors open at 7pm. Tickets begin from Dh250 at www.etihadarena.ae. Green pass on the Al Hosn App is required. Those not vaccinated are required to present a negative PCR test taken not more than 96 hours.
5. Maroon 5: May 6 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
The US pop group will perform for the first time in Abu Dhabi.
Formed in 2002, Maroon 5 have been a mainstay of charts worldwide thanks to singles such as This Love, Harder to Breathe and Moves Like Jagger. Their back catalogue showcases a hotchpotch of influences ranging from disco and funk to rock.
Doors open at 7pm; from D300; etihadarena.ae
6. Shreya Ghoshal: May 7 at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai
One of India’s most successful singers, Shreya Ghoshal performs in several of the country's languages, including Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu.
It was a television performance in 1999 as part of the 200th episode of talent show Sa Re Ga Ma P that was a career-changer for the classically trained Ghosal.
She has gone on to build a successful solo career and was a judge on a number of Indian music competitions including Star Voice of India, X-Factor India and Indian Idol Junior.
Doors open at 9pm; from Dh120; coca-cola-arena.com
7. Conor Maynard and Zack Knight: May 7 at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai
British singer-songwriter Conor Maynard was discovered on YouTube in 2009 courtesy of his covers of songs by artists such as Taio Cruz and Rihanna.
Mentored by RnB star Neyo, Maynard has gone on to release hits such his 2012 debut single Can't Say No and 2013's R U Crazy. Last year, he released five tracks including Believers, featuring EDM producer Alan Walker.
As for Zack Knight, the British-Pakistani singer is known for his bilingual hits including 2017's Bom Diggy.
He's coming to Dubai on the back of recently released tracks including Yaar Tu, Ego and Stand With You.
Doors open at 8pm; from Dh100; coca-cola-arena.com
8. Fatboy Slim: May 20 at Zero Gravity, Dubai
The original superstar DJ, Fatboy Slim, real name Norman Cook,was one of the biggest dance music acts of the 1990s, scoring seven UK Top 10 singles, including four from 1998's bestselling album You've Come A Long Way, Baby.
He's returning to Dubai on the back of a well-received show at Coachella in the US.
Doors open at 10am; from Dh199; dubai.platinumlist.net
9. The International Indian Film Academy Awards 2022: May 20 and 21 at Etihad Arena Abu Dhabi
It may be a night to honour the best in Indian cinema, but the International Indian Film Academy or IIFA Awards will also be packed with musical performances.
Bollywood stars confirmed to take to the stage include the new celebrity face of Yas Island, Ranveer Singh, as well as Salman Khan, Varun Dhawan, Kartik Aaryan, Sara Ali Khan, Ananya Panday, Divya Khosla Kumar and Nora Fatehi.
Doors open at 6pm; from Dh440; etihadarena.ae
10. Mohammed Abdu: June 25 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
The Artist of the Arabs — an epithet given to Abdu by the late Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba — has had a music career that's spanned four decades.
Saudi Arabian crooner Abdu has released thousands of songs and more than 30 albums. He is most celebrated for his preservation of mawrouth (heritage songs), doing so without changing much of their musical arrangement or build up.
Doors open at 6.30pm; from D788; etihadarena.ae
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
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Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Barbie
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Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The years Ramadan fell in May
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
ENGLAND TEAM
England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
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
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
