British funnyman Jason Manford, 38, is a regular visitor to these shores, but the frequency of his trips hasn't dulled the shine of performing in the UAE for him. He is back in the Emirates this weekend, with shows in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
He has performed in the UAE four times over the years, the last time being his New Year's Eve show in Dubai in 2017, and Manford seems excited to be coming back. "Gigs there are always great fun," he says. "There is always an appreciation for what I am doing when I come over, there aren't as many shows as we have here in the UK, and I appreciate that … so it's a bit of a love-in really." For the unfamiliar, a "love-in" is a gathering of people to express mutual love, which is a rather heart-warming call from Manford about the UAE's place in his heart.
The comedian is bringing his Muddle Class Tour, one that he has been performing over the past year, with more than 250 shows to date. But just because it's oft-performed, doesn't mean it will be stale with no surprises.
"You have to play with it a little bit," he says. "There is always more of an international audience [in the UAE], so you have to think about that, but the show is a personal show, it's me telling the audience funny things that I have been up to and noticed, so that doesn't change."
So, in his time performing in the UAE, has he ever found a crowd hard to win over? "Absolutely not, I've never experienced that," he says.
“The audiences come, generally, because they already like you. And I like them, so it’s never really been an issue,” he adds.
There is also the myth that comedians and performers have to alter their shows when getting on stage in the region, but Manford says that is something he has never had to consider.
"My act doesn't really need censoring anyway, so there is nothing that I think, 'Oh I better not, say, talk about that.' It's not that sort of show," he says. "There is nothing in my show that anyone could, really, get upset about."
After all, Manford has risen to fame, predominantly, on British prime time TV, so don't expect any quips that come too close to the bone. Until 2017, he was a regular on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Would I Lie to You?, and in 2010, he enjoyed a stint as the presenter of The One Show. More recently, he hosted What Would Your Kid Do?, a family show that investigates how well parents know their own children.
My act doesn't really need censoring anyway, so there is nothing that I think, 'Oh I better not, say, talk about that.' It's not that sort of show. There is nothing in my show that anyone could, really, get upset about.
And he is certainly a family man. A father to five, he tells us his little ones often join him on tour. "The last few times I've been to the UAE, I brought the family out and treated it as a holiday. Although this time is a bit different, I am literally coming out, doing the gigs and going home.
“There is so much to do with kids, the aquarium at the mall, I mean, if you’re bored in Dubai, crikey, there must be something wrong with you,” he jokes.
He balances family and life on the road by making the time for his loved ones over the few months of the year when he isn't working. He says over the year, he probably spends more time with his children than he would if he had a regular nine-to-five. "I don't have to commute every day," he says.
"But being away can be hard – hard for the kids and for relationships," he reveals. "So you have to make sure the time you have together is quality time, you know, not spent on your phone or Facebook, or whatever, while the kids are running around you, you have to be invested in them."
Can we expect any of the mini-Manfords to follow in his footsteps? "I would encourage them to try comedy, yes. For me it's been a wonderful job, it's given me great opportunities, opportunities I'd never have had in another career, I certainly wouldn't have got here on academic level," he says.
“I would encourage anyone, my kids or not, to give what they love a try,” he adds. “I mean, you have to try, not trying is a worse feeling than failing.”
His children, however, can't believe he is a comedian. "Sometimes they're a bit like, 'What, people pay you for this?' But I do love a dad joke and they just roll their eyes at me."
He is certainly a busy man, as well as TV gigs and stand-up comedy, he has a regular show on Absolute Radio in the UK. He has also dabbled in music and musical theatre, with an album of show tunes, A Different Stage, released in 2017. From September, he'll be touring with Tony Award-winning musical Curtains, a whodunit show.
Musical theatre was always his main passion, he says, and he originally thought he would end up in a local band, saying he didn't think it was realistic to get on TV or have people "pay to come see me live".
"It's great, I have been able to take things from the world of theatre and bring them into my stand up, it's much more colourful now with a lot more characters and stories," he says. "It's not just one bloke standing in the middle of the stage. The two jobs complement each other."
What it all boils down to, however, is stand-up, which is the job he would choose if he had to pick between presenting, acting and comedy.
“It’s the one where no one else is involved, it’s you and the audience, there is no director, writer, producer, editor or Ofcom,” he says. “It is just you and the live audience, and what gets said in that room, you live and die by.”
Jason Manford performs at the Movenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach, Dubai, from 9pm on July 25, and the Park Rotana, Abu Dhabi, from 9pm on July 26. Tickets are from Dh230. Visit www.thelaughterfactory.com
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
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
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
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
The%20Specs%20
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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
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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 10am:
Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)
Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog
Sofia Kenin (1) v Zhaoxuan Yan
Kristina Mladenovic v Garbine Muguruza (5)
Sorana Cirstea v Karolina Pliskova (3)
Jessica Pegula v Elina Svitolina (2)
Court 1
Starting at 10am:
Sara Sorribes Tormo v Nadia Podoroska
Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh
Elise Mertens (7) v Alize Cornet
Tamara Zidansek v Jennifer Brady (11)
Heather Watson v Jodie Burrage
Vera Zvonareva v Amandine Hesse
Court 2
Starting at 10am:
Arantxa Rus v Xiyu Wang
Maria Kostyuk v Lucie Hradecka
Karolina Muchova v Danka Kovinic
Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri
Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova
Court 3
Starting at 10am:
Kateryna Bondarenko v Yafan Wang
Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Anna Bondar
Bianca Turati v Yaroslava Shvedova
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EDate%20started%3A%20January%202022%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Omar%20Abu%20Innab%2C%20Silvia%20Eldawi%2C%20Walid%20Shihabi%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20PropTech%20%2F%20investment%3Cbr%3EEmployees%3A%2040%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Seed%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Multiple%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
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
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
ROUTE%20TO%20TITLE
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THE%20SWIMMERS
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