Mayyas made history when they won America's Got Talent on Wednesday night, taking home $1 million in prize money and the chance to perform in Las Vegas.
The Lebanese dance troupe are the first act from the Mena region to win the American talent show. They are also only the third non-American act to be crowned the winners.
Japanese performance artist Kenichi Ebina won the eighth season of the show in 2013, and British comedian and ventriloquist Paul Zerdin won season 10 in 2015.
Speaking about Mayyas reaching the final and the "biggest stage in the world", Mohamad Ajouz, a friend of members of the troupe, described it as meaning “everything to me and all the Lebanese people".
How do acts who aren't from the US qualify for 'America's Got Talent'?
America's Got Talent is indiscriminate when it comes to auditions and says: "Everyone is welcome to audition for AGT, no matter where in the world you call home," in its auditioning FAQs. However, there are regulations in place.
"To audition on stage for the judges, all performers must be either a United States citizen, legal permanent resident of the United States, possess a current employment authorisation card (EAD card), or be in the United States legally at the time of their audition," the rules state.
To qualify for the show, the acts simply need to have valid visas at the time of auditioning.
In season 17, the initial auditioning stages were virtual, conducted via Zoom "from the safety of [acts'] own home", owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Season 17's diverse finalist line-up
While Lebanese troupe Mayyas won the show, the 2022 America's Got Talent final line-up was a truly diverse one.
Half of the finalists were not from the US, coming from Australia, France, Lebanon, Poland, South Korea and Spain. The majority of the international contestants had competed in their home country's versions of the talent show.
Dancer Kristy Sellars, who came second in America's Got Talent this year, is from Victoria, Australia, and won season nine of Australia's Got Talent in 2019.
Magician Nicolas Ribs is from Paris, and made it to the semi-finals of season 14 of the French version of the show, La France a un incroyable talent, in 2019.
Spanish ventriloquist Celia Munoz, who is from Madrid, won season six of Got Talent Espana in 2021.
Polish singer Sara James won The Voice Kids Poland in 2021 and competed in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in the same year, where she placed second. The 2022 season of America's Got Talent was her first international talent show.
South Korean contestant Yu Hojin is a magician from Seoul, known for his sleight-of-hand tricks. He hasn't competed on any international versions of the show, but toured with The Illusionists for seven years before going solo and appeared as a guest performer with the group on season 11 of America's Got Talent in 2016.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
RESULT
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea: Willian (40'), Batshuayi (42', 49')
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Aggro%20Dr1ft
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EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
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Guardians%20of%20the%20Galaxy%20Vol%203
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The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
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:
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
The biog
Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children
She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career
She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence
Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
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
'Will%20of%20the%20People'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMuse%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWarner%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Need to know
When: October 17 until November 10
Cost: Entry is free but some events require prior registration
Where: Various locations including National Theatre (Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, Zayed University Promenade, Beach Rotana (Abu Dhabi), Vox Cinemas at Yas Mall, Sharjah Youth Center
What: The Korea Festival will feature art exhibitions, a B-boy dance show, a mini K-pop concert, traditional dance and music performances, food tastings, a beauty seminar, and more.
For more information: www.koreafestivaluae.com
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani