Damon Albarn has something of a reputation for arrogance. Excitable, cynical and taciturn in turns, the former Blur frontman has had difficulty shedding the precocious boy-wonder image, but now, as he takes his Gorillaz Plastic Beach world tour to Syria and Lebanon, seems to have finally emerged as a conscientious musician with serious intentions about changing the world.
There's no doubt he has a sharp tongue, of course. Asked at a press conference what it feels like to be one of the first bands to play in Syria, he snaps at the shrinking journalist: "What, have there been others?" before moving on to how young people in the Middle East can reconcile their traditions with new identities.
Albarn looks every bit the rock star, even while perched on a plastic chair on the lawns of the Damascus Citadel, but at 43, the former Blur frontman's trademark boyish features are now set in a rather more mature and pensive visage.
We meet an hour before the show he has described as "a really special occasion", and behind him, a collection of bored but amused National Service officers smoke idly, watching technicians put the final touches to the mammoth stage, which is dominated by the enormous lettering of the band's name.
No one has any idea what to expect from the night.
"If there weren't 100,000 people at our show in London, I'd be annoyed," he explains to me, sitting on the grass in front of the Citadel ahead of the press conference. "But I don't have any expectations here. If we played to just two people it's OK."
The Plastic Beach tour has seen the members of the "world's first virtual band" stripped of their animated alter-egos to emerge as a monster live stage-band. Gone are the holograms, and with Jamie Hewlett - the band's visual co-creator - notably absent, Albarn seems finally to be taking the credit as the master puppeteer.
The unexpected stop-off in the Arab Republic was Albarn's idea. He visited the country to record the Plastic Beach orchestral grime mash-up, White Flag, with the Syrian National Orchestra for Arab Music, working with The Good, the Bad & the Queen collaborator and friend the Syrian rapper Eslaam Jawad (also known as Wissam Khador). Claiming a long-held fascination with Arab culture - instilled by his father, a professor of Arab Studies - he insisted the band include the ancient capital on the album tour.
And he's clearly made the most of it. Albarn spent five days in Syria, travelling to Palmyra with his family, and arranged for further collaborations with Sufi poets for his upcoming Gorillaz project - an opera about the 16th-century mystic and alchemist Jon Dee.
"I am really, really interested in that stuff at the moment," he says, sounding more like an enthusiastic schoolboy than a world-weary pop musician.
The 14 tracks that made it on to Plastic Beach were reportedly whittled down from more than 70 laid down in collaborative efforts in the Middle East and elsewhere. The other tracks have yet to find a home, but Albarn doesn't rule out an Arab-themed Gorillaz release.
It is a strange match though. The conflicted lives of the postmodern band's animated members - Murdoc, 2D, Russel and Noodle - desperately trying to navigate their way in a hedonistic world of consumerist overload and fickle celebrity culture, are somewhat redundant in a country that has only gained access to satellite television and internet access in the past 10 years.
So how do the Gorillaz' themes translate?
"I think these people are very hip to mass consumerism, whether they choose to engage in it or not, but they know it is there, that it is unavoidable," says Albarn. "I think we present something that moves in that same kind of pace."
This is the kind of talk that you can expect from Albarn: socially aware, rather vague and scattered with portentous references to things such as "the dark machinations of capitalism".
"That's what we deal with, really, the dark machinations of capitalism. But I think we deal with it in an exhilarating kind of way, so it's not too sort of, ah, heavy."
His motivations for coming to Syria are genuine. It's no secret that the Syrian leg of the production, complete with 93 personnel and a full album cast including the orchestra, The Clash's Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, the UK grime MCs Kano and Bashy, the soul legend Bobby Womack, De La Soul and Bootie Brown - has actually lost money. The move was driven, he says, by a desire to expose western audiences to Arab music and culture and pave the way for an important intercultural "dialogue". He insists, in response to a question about the cancellation of the GorillazSound System Tel Aviv concert following May's Gaza Flotilla massacre, that it is apolitical.
"If people want to know why we are here, to make it political or humanitarian, then it's humanitarian," he says.
Yes, he acknowledges, Syria has things to answer for.
"But so has Israel, and then again..." He leans his head back and, rather startlingly, lets out a roar of frustration. "So does America, so does the United Kingdom - my goodness me, so does the United Kingdom."
Syria is not the last stop. Albarn says he has plans to fulfil a long-held desire to play in Iraq and Iran.
"I don't see any reason why not. If we can play in Syria it means we can play in Iran, we can play in Iraq." Stroking his stubble thoughtfully, Albarn points out that he doesn't see any conflict in his role as a musician with a message.
"I'm not a politician," he says.
So, this is finally music for the people?
"Yes. This is definitely music for the people."
And the people responded. More than 3,000 of them packed the Citadel to watch as the band took to the stage in pirate costumes, half an hour later than planned to factor in the evening prayer.
In a booming drawl, Snoop Dogg appeared in pirate regalia on screen, inviting the audience to land on the Plastic Beach, the animated mythical garbage island appearing above them. The war-themed animated backdrops supported a performance that combined new songs from the album and slammed versions of favourite singles from Demon Days and Gorillaz.
A psychedelic extended version of O Green World proved a highlight, while from the new album, Bobby Womack let rip on a thumping Stylo.
But it was The Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music's enthusiastic intro to White Flag that saw the audience swell with emotion, prompting one young woman to scream: "I'm at home!"
"I didn't expect so many people," said Damon at one point, taking in the crowd.
An aptly chosen Feel Good Inc drew the evening to a close and as Albarn waved goodbye, he shouted "I love you". We believed him.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
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Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Naga
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
The 100 Best Novels in Translation
Boyd Tonkin, Galileo Press
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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
RESULTS: 2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING - EUROPE
Albania 0 Italy 1
Finland 2 Turkey 2
Macedonia 4 Liechtenstein
Iceland 2 Kosovo 0
Israel 0 Spain 1
Moldova 0 Austria 1
Serbia 1 Georgia 0
Ukraine 0 Croatia 2
Wales 0 Ireland 1
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
